Vladyslav Sokolovskyi, Chairman of the Solar Energy Association of Ukraine (SEAU), commenting to Komersant Ukrainskyi on the updated NEURC rules governing the operation of private households with solar PV systems and the application of the “green” tariff, noted that the new rules themselves should not significantly worsen the position of bona fide residential solar PV owners.
The new rules define the time periods during which electricity generated by household solar PV systems is taken into account for “green” tariff calculations. Electricity supplied outside the specified time periods must be purchased by the universal service supplier at hourly prices on the Day-Ahead Market.
According to Vladyslav Sokolovskyi, a final assessment of the impact of the new rules will only be possible once practical experience with their implementation emerges.
The SEAU Chairman also drew particular attention to the growing adoption of energy storage systems. More and more households are using solar PV systems together with BESS.
“Today, more and more households have not only solar PV systems but also energy storage systems. It is therefore important to clearly distinguish between electricity directly generated by a solar PV system and covered by the ‘green’ tariff mechanism, and other volumes of electricity. Unfortunately, legislation governing the use of hybrid inverters has not yet caught up with technological development.”
According to the expert, it is also important to ensure accurate automated metering of generated electricity, so that technical or procedural errors do not result in actual generation volumes being excluded from calculations.
At the same time, one of the most pressing issues for residential solar PV owners remains the timely and full settlement of payments for electricity already generated and supplied to the grid.
“We cannot expect private investors to comply flawlessly with all the rules while, at the same time, allowing debt to accumulate towards them,” Vladyslav Sokolovskyi stressed.
In the view of the SEAU Chairman, the future of residential generation is not limited to selling electricity to the grid. Solar PV combined with BESS, self-consumption, demand management and new market mechanisms will gradually shape a new model of distributed generation.
At the same time, a stable regulatory environment remains critical for the development of this segment.
“A residential solar PV system is an investment made for many years. The state may improve the rules, close loopholes for abuse and adapt the market to new technologies, but at the same time, the legitimate rights of bona fide investors and the obligations undertaken by the state at the time of the investment must be protected,” the expert notes.
SEAU emphasises that predictability of the rules will determine whether Ukrainians continue to invest in distributed generation, energy storage and the energy resilience of their households and the country as a whole.