The Romanian Association of Prosumers (APCE) launches the “Guide for the new prosumer” to support the beneficiaries of the Green House 2024 program.
“APCE Prosumers’ Association requested offers from the market and found that the allocated budget is sufficient for a 4 kW single-phase system, with a premium hybrid inverter and top batteries. Prosumers are advised to ask for a premium offer and not compromise on quality,” the association claims.
APCE says that the Romanian state has no quality requirements for plumbers.
“We are experiencing a bit of a paradox in the sense that while the Romanian state is an expert in requesting fees and taxes, when it comes to providing funds, it lacks vision and clarity. Although the Casa Verde 2024 Program has a budget of 2 billion lei, it does not come with a minimum specification for the installation of quality hybrid photovoltaic systems,” APCE officials say.
Since the start of the Casa Verde program, the subsidy offered by the state has been 20,000 lei, or approximately 4,000 euros – a budget that today allows the purchase of a very good quality hybrid photovoltaic system.
“Since 2019, the prices of panels and inverters have been decreasing, in conjunction with the penetration of the Romanian market by new brands from China, some with names you can’t pronounce or remember, based on the principle of supply and demand. For example, all the prices of photovoltaic panels have also decreased by 220%, and the most efficient accumulators on the market, LIFEPO4, in the last year alone had prices reduced by 51%,” add the association’s officials.
“Prosumers must know exactly what they need to ask from the installation companies. The storage component introduces additional complexity in hybrid PV systems, so program beneficiaries must be well informed about the quality of equipment and services offered by installers. Inverters and batteries can no longer be installed in the open air, and the execution of the assembly must comply with high safety and quality standards.”
At the same time, there are several types of hybrid inverters, but not all of them are advisable: inverters that have delays of up to one minute in the absence of mains voltage, that do not allow the batteries to be charged in the absence of the mains, even during the day, or that limit battery usage at only 20% per day.
“There are, however, premium hybrid inverters, with which there are no interruptions, in the absence of the network, they charge the accumulators from the panels when we have sun and the battery discharge is not limited (real off-grid function and classic UPS).”
“Recommended accumulators – the only viable option for accumulators are LIFePO4 (Lithium, Iron, Phosphate), which communicate directly with the inverter. Other types, such as lead, acid or gel, are outdated and dangerous technologies that should not be supported under this budget. In conclusion, choose the maximum quality for the budget of 6,600 euro.”
