During the second day of the OIE Serbia 2024 conference, there were several interesting panels, while one of them was dedicated to solar energy. Panel discussion “Challenges and perspectives of the development and construction of solar power plants” brought together a large number of conference participants. The moderator of this panel was Dr. Radivoje Petrikić, CMS Beograd, and the participants: Džonatan Bonadio, SolarPower Europe Janis Romeliotis, Sungrow, Nina Hojnik, Director of the Slovenian Photovoltaic Association, Miloš Kostić, General Director, MT KOMEX and Dunja Grujić – Director of the Market Support Sector , “Electric distribution of Serbia”.
On this occasion, Jonathan Bonadio from SolarPower Europe at the start of the panel discussion expressed optimism about the growth of the solar sector in Europe, stating that solar installations increased from 44 GW to 60.9 GW between 2022 and 2023, an increase of 50 percent in just one year, with special emphasis on Germany as a leader in this field. He also highlighted the EU’s goal to install 750 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2030, which requires regulatory stability and improved integration of solar systems across the continent. Bonadio pointed out the need for a larger share of communal installations, which currently make up a smaller part of the total capacity, as well as the importance of electrification of energy systems, expecting that the share of electricity in final consumption will increase to 50 percent by 2040.
Miloš Kostić, owner of MT-KOMEX and a pioneer in the development of solar projects in Serbia, shared his early experiences from 2009 when regulatory hurdles and limited government support dampened the initial excitement for solar energy. The initial phase was even filled with dissatisfaction because solar capacities were limited to only 5 MW, while other types of renewable energy, such as hydro and biogas, took precedence, resulting in a slow growth of solar installations. However, he realized that as much as this decision may seem like a big obstacle at first, the experiences gained in the early days of the development of the solar industry showed that the continuation of some other policy would actually be harmful, not only to the national budget but also to the sector itself. Looking back on these lessons, Miloš also expressed a certain amount of satisfaction because such earlier decisions enabled the sector to gradually develop in accordance with the real capacities and needs of the market.
Kostić used the opportunity to, as the founder of Charge&GO, describe the challenges of establishing a network for charging electric vehicles. From its foundation in 2016 to today, Charge&GO has made significant progress, focusing on three main pillars: sales and distribution of EV chargers, infrastructure development – which currently has 65 chargers distributed in 55 locations in Serbia with a total connected capacity of 8 MW, and development of software to manage the charging process and improve the user experience.
In accordance with EU regulations, Charge&GO is ready to switch to charging per kWh as soon as the law allows it, instead of charging by time, with the aim of providing a simpler and fairer pricing model to its users.
On the panel, Dunja Grujić presented details on the integration of solar power plants into the distribution system of Serbia, stating that the network currently has 402 producers with a total installed capacity of 320 MW, including 171 solar power plants with a combined capacity of about 60 MW. She added that around 3,600 consumers, including households and businesses, were added to the network, which additionally contributes 78 MW, of which 2,600 are households. Also, she spoke about ongoing efforts to simplify the connection process, including updating internal procedures and upcoming regulatory changes that would facilitate the connection of new producers to the network, highlighting new regulations that balance the responsibilities of producers and consumers.
Nina Hojnik from Slovenia detailed her country’s transformation in the renewable energy sector, focusing primarily on solar projects. She reported that the earlier subsidies introduced in 2011 contributed significantly to the growth of solar capacity, which resulted in the installation of around 120 MW until the subsidies were abolished. A decisive turnaround took place in 2016 with the introduction of the net metering system, which enabled more efficient integration of solar energy into the national grid and further boosted growth, with capacity rising to several hundred megawatts by 2023. Hojnik emphasized that continuous support through adequate policies is crucial for the continuous development of solar resources.
Energy portal
Source: energetskiportal.rs
