This is the transcript of the message delivered by Enrico Perini, CEO Romstal, during the 2016 Energy Strategy Summit, held on May 31 at Snagov Palace. For a sum-up of the main ideas, check our previous material: 27 essential ideas after Energy Strategy Summit 2016.

We, as Romstal, are not a company that produces energy, but rather a consumer user. And I am here because two-three years ago, we decided to draft an energy policy for the company following examples that we have seen in other European companies. When establishing this energy policy for the company, looking at how much carbon dioxide we emit when operating – approximately 10,000 tons per year, only by moving goods back and forth and selling our products – , we decided to adopt this energy policy for a 70% decrease in CO2 emissions, even before being requested to do this.

So we started working on this policy, we began to change the light bulbs, we began to isolate the buildings, we began changing the interior equipment that was energy intensive. At this point, we noticed that after making all these things we could by no means reach the target we had in mind without starting to produce energy ourselves by putting solar panels on the roofs. And when tried to do this, we were halted by a complicated legislation. In fact, after more than a year and a half we failed to have any photovoltaic panel on any roof. That’s why I’m here. My goal here is that, by what I say and through my testimony, I try and change this law that hinders and hampers household users, home users, and businesses, to mount solar panels on their own rooftops, or a turbine in their courtyard. To help those interested in reducing their energy dependency and to contribute with as little as this might be to make this program of energy shift.

The man who works on our installation is present here. There are about 12 projects on 12 buildings totaling 1.5 megawatt on different rooftops and after 500 days we could not connect either. That is why I think this whole idea of political energy strategy and energy security for a country is nothing more than words, nothing more than gibberish if it does not start from the energy security of the individual. We fail to do this just because we stumble upon this law that cannot be put into practice. For example, in one of the buildings, in order to get a building permit of rooftop photovoltaic panels, we were requested to get an approval from the traffic police.

Even though Romania is best placed among European countries, with only 10-20% energy dependency, which is by far the lowest in all of Europe – Italy for example has 85% energy dependency -, I would not like to end again on the last position, when we could be in the top.

Our idea, originally, came from not necessarily economic reasons, we do not think to become an energy producing company, but on the grounds more related to the environment.

We think about how the CO2 emissions evolved in recent years, and we saw that the link between global temperature and the amount of CO2 is obvious. Taking into account where we are we, as humanity, because the atmosphere has no boundaries, we cannot stop this trend, unless we do something, and this something has to be done by each person. I do not think we can only expect to be helped, through an energy policy, someone to show up and tell us what to do. On the other hand, a legislation to stimulate such actions would be welcome, so that those who really want to do something good to be allowed to do it.