A lot of the renewable energy projects now under construction are bad, but the multitude of initiatives, private or industrial, to produce their own energy will create a beneficial effect in the energy market by stimulating digitalization, improving transport networks and distribution. It will also create an intensification in the labor market as well. However, the lack of equipment manufacturers necessary for the development of new renewable energy capacities is clearly felt, said Cristian Pîrvulescu, CEO of ENEVO Group.

“Many of the projects on the market are bad, that’s the rule of big numbers. This happens in any field, in any activity. The result of the great noise is a development of the energy field, after all. New projects will require digitalization, better networks, better management, better financial and trading tools and companies to do them, and that will also mean an intensification of the labor market. I believe in this new wave of renewables because it is not the result of a government policy or any regulation, but it is the result of a clear need in the market”, said Pîrvulescu, during the conference “New wave of renewables”, organized by Energynomics.

There are several significant differences between the first wave of renewables and the current one. If 4-5 years ago, companies in the field could not find projects, because they did not exist, now the situation has reversed. There are many projects, and this is due to a demand for cheaper, sustainable and safe energy. At the same time, if in the first wave the encouragement to invest in renewable energy came from the support schemes created by the state, at this moment the market no longer feels the need for a support scheme.

“Until 3-4 years ago, we were telling everyone that the cheapest energy is from the socket, but here we are in a context where that is no longer the case. Things have changed, and not because they have been stimulated by some energy strategy or because the political factor wants new projects or because our financiers have determined new lines of financing or new solutions, but because there is a demand for energy cheap in the market”, Pîrvulescu added.

At the same time, companies that install photovoltaic panels are no longer dependent on large customers, such as utility providers or large electricity producers, but can find business opportunities in any economic sector. The reverse of this enthusiasm in the energy market, however, is the lack of equipment production capacities necessary for the development of new energy generation units from renewable sources.

“Now we are also dealing with things that are the effects of a non-existent market in the last ten years. We realize that we have started to lose our national and even European capabilities to produce equipment, and here we go from cannibalization of the contractor market until 1-2 years ago, when contractors were scrambling for the few available projects, now we have cannibalization of consumer or final beneficiary level. Namely, everyone negotiates not necessarily the price they would pay for a project, but the time in which the project will be ready”, said Pîrvulescu.

This avalanche of projects is also beneficial for the ENEVO group, which, for the first time in eight years, expects a higher turnover in Romania and the EU than from exporting to non-EU countries.

The conference “New wave of renewables“ was organized by Energynomics with the support of our partners: ABB, BCR, Eaton Electric, EnergoBit, EnergoPower, Enevo Group, Phoenix Contact, Photomate, REI Group, Simtel, Volt, Wiren.