Fidesz MP calls for rethink of solar panels regulations

Ruling Fidesz’s parliamentary group leader has asked the energy minister to override a new European Union directive on gross settlement for solar power and restore annual balance settlements for households using solar panels in line with their original contracts.

Fidesz was given a mandate in last year’s election to protect the interests of Hungarian families, Máte Kocsis said in a post on Facebook, adding that this also meant keeping household utility prices low.

The energy crisis caused by the war and the related sanctions has resulted in energy price increases and fluctuations, he said. Under such circumstances, there is no place for families who have installed solar panels in recent years in a bid to cut their energy consumption to receive worse settlement terms because of the EU’s expectations, he said, adding that the households in question saved around 20,000 forints (EUR 52) a month on average on their electricity bills.

“It is not fair to them that the rules change on the fly, and it is not fair that their previously acquired rights are violated,” Kocsis said, arguing that at the time of installation, solar panel users had assumed different conditions for the return on their investment. But the Brussels directive wants to change these conditions after the fact, he added.

Source: MTI