Rooftop solar could generate half of electricity consumed in BiH – Avdaković

Bosnia and Herzegovina could meet half of its electricity consumption with solar panels on about a million roofs, said Samir Avdaković, director of the Institute of Advanced Technologies and Systems (ATS) and professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Sarajevo.

There is solar energy potential in BiH not only on roofs but also in agriculture and on artificial lakes. But the main obstacle for citizens to install solar panels and obtain a prosumer status is in the shortcomings of the regulatory framework, Capital.ba reported.

Prosumers are considered drivers of the energy transition in Europe while in BiH they are yet to be covered by the legal framework, Samir Avdaković said. He points to roofs as the sector with the biggest energy potential.

Avdaković noted that the annual electricity consumption in BiH is around 12,000 GWh and argued that 50% could be met with 5 kW rooftop photovoltaic systems on one million roofs. It wouldn’t be complicated, he said, given the existing grid connections.

Solar power facilities could be also installed above vineyards, which is the agrisolar concept. Avdaković said BiH has vineyards on 4,000 hectares and that panels on one hectare could generate 1.25 GWh.

In addition to producing electricity, PV systems would protect grapes and increase yield by up to 30%, he explained.

The price for the prosumer deadlock will be paid by the citizens

Floating solar power plants could also generate a substantial amount of electricity. According to the calculations, panels on 5% of the surface of larger artificial lakes in BiH could generate 1,215 GWh, equivalent to more than 10% of the total country’s electricity consumption.

Professor Mirza Kušljugić from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Tuzla and economist Damir Miljević do not doubt that allowing the activation of prosumers is hindered in every way in BiH. They pointed to delays in updating regulations and said electricity distribution system operators are making procedures complicated while that power utilities are resisting change.

In the end, citizens will bear the consequences of the prosumer deadlock, they added.

Of note, Kušljugić is the president and Miljević is a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for Sustainable Energy Transition (RESET).