Czechia earmarks $43.4 million for solar rebates

PV developers in Czechia can apply for solar rebates until Aug. 31. Solar-plus-storage projects will also be able to participate.

Image: d_poltoradnev/Pixabay

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Czechia's Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced it has earmarked CZK 1 billion ($43.4 million) to support PV projects not exceeding 1MW in size, through rebates.

The funds were taken from the country's National Recovery Plan to reduce energy dependence on Russia, the government said in a statement. A call to select eligible projects has been launched and applications may be sent by Aug. 31. Solar-plus-storage projects will also be able to participate.

The rebate for solar installations will not exceed 35%. The rebate for storage systems will not be higher than 50%.

The ministry said that it had registered 1,760 applications by May 20, for a total budget of CZK 2.9 billion. The projects all related to the previous program's call, which was launched in March 2021. 

“There are already over a thousand applications for PV rooftops, which will help speed up the development of the commercial rooftop segment in Czechia,” Jan Krčmář, chairman of the Czech Solar Association, told pv magazine. “At the same time, we are concerned that the number of projects will lead to long waiting times for building permits and that some projects might come up against barriers such as heritage protection in cities. The Czech government is trying to speed up permitting procedures and we are hoping that some necessary changes will take effect soon, such as raising the limit for obligatory building permits from 20 kW to 50 kW.”

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, Czechia had 2,119 MW of installed solar power at the end of 2021 – 4 MW less than it had at the end of 2020. The nation has also provided incentives for rooftop PV through a Green Savings Program and for solar-plus-storage projects via a separate, dedicated scheme.

*The article was updated on May 30 to add the statement from Jan Krčmář, chairman of the Czech Solar Association.

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