Over 90% of participants at the 8th edition of RoEnergy South-East Europe Fair in Bucharest are from the photovoltaic sector, and the overall atmosphere is rather optimistic. Some of the present companies are ready and they look forward to the debut of the subsidy program of the Environmental Fund Administration – AFM. Others are rather skeptical and prefer to continue to deliver solar-based generation solutions for industrial customers.
Most installers we’ve talked with have insisted that they work with multiple solar panels vendors and they choose the technical solution according to customer needs. In all conversations, the minimum investment for an installation per household exceeds by at least RON 3,000 the 20,000 lei subsidy from AFM, partly due to some costs that are not covered by the program, partly because extra-options are available, but also because some firms are ready to take over some of the beneficiary’s bureaucratic efforts, for a fee. Solar Point from Brasov, for example, proposes a fee of 600 lei to handle the bureaucratic flow (ATR, approvals, documents, etc.) in name of the client in relation to the electricity distributor.
Solar Point also proposes a dedicated web page for potential beneficiaries to identify all the necessary documents, the categories of subsidized spending, information on legislation and eligibility. “Also online, the most appropriate package and extra options can be selected, and our application can provide those interested with a cost estimate and the ability to send us the call of offer,” explained Romulus Berdei, General Manager of Solar Point.
Darcom Energy from Bucharest offers design, distribution, installation, repair and maintenance of on-grid, off-grid and hybrid photovoltaic systems, since 2008. The representatives of the company are interested in the AFM program and, through partners, they might even get involved in it. They prefer, however, to work with industrial partners who want a photovoltaic system to produce at least some of the needed electricity; thus, Darcom Energy avoid the risks of delayed recovery of their investment from the AFM.
ALSO READ AFM estimates it will validate around 260 installers for PV systems, out of about 550 applications
Representatives of Greencells Group, on the other hand, are prepared to participate in the AFM program and also to provide the necessary initial investment.
At RoEnergy 2019 there are approximately 40 stands and around 50 participants, including some heavy names in the industry already present in Romania, either directly or through distributors; among these Photon Energy, Fronius International, Greencells Group, SolarEdge, Krannich Group GmbH , Renusol Europe and K2 Systems GmbH. There are also Romanian companies such as Control Point group, Altius Fotovoltaic, Darcom Energy Solutions, Hydro Systems, Dynoteq Technology, F Design Electric, as well as financing institutions among which BNP Paribas, BCR, BRD or EBRD, with a stand dedicated to the GEFF program.
The RoEnergy South-East Europe Fair is held at the Polytechnic Rectorate, in Bucharest until Friday, April 19, at 14 o’clock.