New bill may discourage Hungarians from using solar energy
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Energy Minister Csaba Lantos has unveiled massive changes to the accounting system for household solar panels, set to take effect next year. These new elements have the potential to discourage Hungarian citizens from using solar energy and may lead them back to gas heating. The changes were announced during the Portfolio Professional conference.
Gross Settlement
According to G7, the so-called Gross Settlement change introduces several alterations in the government’s approach to supporting solar energy for citizens. The new changes include:
- Unused electricity generated by the solar panels and fed into the grid will be purchased at a rate of approximately HUF 5 (EUR 0.013) per kWh
- Solar Households will be subject to a reduced quota. When the solar panel does not produce enough, these households will have to buy surplus electricity from the grid, which will cost HUF 36 (EUR 0.093) per kWh up to the annual quota limit of 2,523 kWh
- Once the household exceeds that limit, the price will jump to HUF 70 (EUR 0.18) per kWh
- A new HUF 75 billion (EUR 193,475,936.63) support scheme will be launched for batteries, which will store surplus electricity generated during the day. This supply can be used at night, therefore, households do not have to rely solely on charging and discharging from the grid
- Battery support will be available for solar systems up to 4 kilowatts, and the battery capacity will be up to 8 kWh
- Subsidies of up to 65% of the battery price will be available.
Read also: Electricity is the world’s second cheapest in Hungary!
Changes in solar energy purchase
The Hungarian government supports solar panels with a performance of up to 4 kilowatts, which generate approximately 4,800 kWh annually. However, since solar energy production can differ throughout the seasons, the government can purchase surplus electricity from households at a lower rate, such as 5 forints per kWh, during the summer when the solar production is high. Conversely, in the winter when solar panels may not meet the required demand, households will need to purchase electricity from the grid, which the government can sell at a higher rate, ranging from 36 to 70 Forints per kWh.