Solid biomass in the Czech
Republic
The National Energy Strategy adopted by the Czech Parliament
in 2004 defines long-term energy goals with fundamental priorities on security
of supply and sustainable development.
Targets of the Czech energy policy, defined in the
National Energy Strategy, concerning renewable energy sources (RES) are to
increase: (a) RES share in the
primary energy balance to 15.7 % by 2030, (b) RES
share in electricity production to 16.8 % by 2030.
A RES scheme was introduced in 2005
by the Act on the Promotion of Electricity Produced from Renewable Energy
Sources No.180/2005. RES electricity is promoted by a guaranteed feed-in tariff
and premium ("green bonus") paid on top of the regular electricity
price achieved at the market. The guaranted feed-in tariff and green bonus
apply to all technologies used to generate renewable electricity, except for the
very large scale wind power (>20 MW), RES electricity generated outside the
Czech Republic and since 2011 for on ground PV systems. In general the tariff
is granted for 20 years.
RES
are also promoted by the National Programme for the promotion of Energy saving
and the Use of Renewable Energy Sources. One of the subprograms,
the Efekt, is focused on the renewable electricity generation. The operational framework for the Efect is
approved on a yearly basis. In 2011, for example, the Efekt
promotes only small hydro-power generation with a
capacity of up to 10 MW.
The
ECO-ENERGY programme is a part of the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovations and gives entrepreneurs
the opportunity to apply for investment grants or low-interest loans for RES
projects. This programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Another
programme is Operational Programme Environment which provides investment grants
from the EU Cohesion Fund.
Electricity
generated from renewable energy sources is a subject to an exemption from the
tax on income from renewable electricity, too.
Renewable energy projections
according to the National Renewable Energy Action Plan for the Czech Republic
Mandatory targets set by the Directive
2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009
on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (RES) indicate 13%
share of RES in the gross consumption of final energy and at least 10% share of renewable energy in final consumption of energy
in transport by 2020.
The RES target according to the National
Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) of the
Renewable heat and electricity: solid biomass
Solid biomass is supported through
several programmes:
1) Environmental Fund of the Czech
Republic is applying subsidies through the Green
Saving Programme. The Programme focuses on support for heating
installations utilising renewable energy sources (low-emission biomass-fired
boilers, efficient heat pumps and solar thermal
collectors) and also on energy savings in reconstructions and new buildings.
The Green Savings support has been set up so that the funds can be used
throughout the period from the programme's launch until 31st of
December 2012.
Programme supports the replacement
of solid and liquid fossil fuel-fired sources and electric heating with
efficient low-emission biomass sources with a specific performance factor. Only
new efficient biomass sources with low emissions of local pollutants into the
atmosphere are supported. The required minimum efficiency of heat output is
82%. Installations of biomass sources with automatic fuel supply are granted a
higher subsidy than biomass sources with manual fuel supply.
For biomass sources installed in new
buildings, the calculated specific annual heat demand for heating must not
exceed 55 kWh per square metre of the floor area. This requirement does not
apply to buildings completed before 1st of January 2011.
The support is allocated in the form of a
subsidy as a fixed amount to purchase a new source, accessories and connection
to the heating system. Only biomass boilers in family and multiple-dwelling
houses are eligible for a subsidy.
Table 1: The level of support
for biomass boilers
|
Supported Measures |
Subsidy Unit |
Subsidy Amount |
|
Family Houses |
||
|
C.1 Biomass-fired source with manual fuel supply without storage tank |
CZK |
50,000 |
|
C.1/C.2 Biomass-fired source with manual fuel supply with
storage tank of required volume |
CZK |
80,000 |
|
C.1/C.2 Biomass-fired source with automatic fuel supply |
CZK |
95,000 |
|
Multiple-Dwelling Houses |
||
|
C.1/C.2 Biomass-fired source |
CZK/dw.u.* |
25,000 |
*dw.u. - dwelling
unit
2) The use of Solid biomass is supported under Operational
Programme Environment - Axis 3 "Sustainable Use of Energy
Sources". The programme offers investment subsidies for construction and
reconstruction of heat sources using RES for construction and reconstruction of electricity
power plans burning biomass (solid, gaseous or liquid) and for installation of
cogeneration plants using solid biomass (such as classical steam cycle, the
ORC, biomass gasification + gas engine, etc.). The subsidy must not
exceed 20% of the total project costs. The maximum
grant per electricity power plants may reach 50 million CZK. The maximum grant per cogeneration plants using solid biomass may reach 100 million
CZK.
There are two separate calls: one is
for large projects (open till 30th of June 2011), the second is for individual
projects (open from 1st of March 2011 till 30th of April 2011). Only the public
and the municipality sector are eligible for investments support.
3) The ECO-ENERGY programme is part of the Operational Programme
Enterprise and Innovations (2007-2013)- PRIORITY AXIS
3 – “EFFECTIVE ENERGY”. Under this programme entrepreneurs (small,
medium-sized, large enterprises) can apply for investment grants or
low-interest loans for RES projects. The minimum subsidy is 500,000 CZK. The
maximum subsidy is a certain percentage of the eligible costs. The percentage
differs according to region and must not exceed 100 million CZK. In general small enterprises are entitled to 50%,
medium-sized enterprises to 40% and large enterprises to 30% of the eligible
costs. Enterprises in Regions
of Strední Morava, Severozápad,
Strední Cechy, Moravskoslezsko, Severovýchod, Jihovýchod are entitled to
additional 10 percentage point higher support than usual. In general solid
biomass is eligible to the support under this programme; however all depends on
the conditions set out by a given call for applications. At the moment, all
calls under Operational Programme "Enterprise and Innovations – ECO-ENERGY
Programme" are closed.
4) The electricity production from
solid biomass is supported by a
guaranteed feed-in tariff and premium ("green bonus") paid on
top of the regular electricity price achieved at the market. The Energy
Regulatory Office’s Price Decision No. 2/2010 of 8 November 2010 (caption 1.5) is setting new values for the feed-in
tariff and green bonus for electricity from solid biomass. The feed-in tariff and green bonus depend on
the firing and co-firing category and the date of commissioning. The guaranteed feed-in tariff is set from 1.4 to 4.58 CZK/kWh.
The green bonus is set from 0.49 to 3.61 CZK/kWh, see Table 2.
Table 2: Feed-in tariff and green bonus for electricity generation from biomass
|
|
Feed-in Tariff
CZK/MWh |
Green Bonus
CZK/MWh |
|
Electricity generation
by firing category O1 biomass only in new electricity
generating plants or generating units commissioned between 1 January 2008 and 31 December
2011 |
4,580 |
3,610 |
|
Electricity generation
by firing category O2 biomass only in new electricity
generating plants or generating units commissioned between 1 January 2008 and 31 December
2011 |
3,530 |
2,560 |
|
Electricity generation
by firing category O3 biomass only in new electricity
generating plants or generating units commissioned between 1 January 2008 and 31 December
2011 |
2,630 |
1,660 |
|
Electricity generation
by firing category O1 biomass only for generating units
commissioned before 1 January 2008 |
3,900 |
2,930 |
|
Electricity generation
by firing category O2 biomass only for generating units
commissioned before 1 January 2008 |
3,200 |
2,230 |
|
Electricity generation
by firing category O3 biomass only for generating units
commissioned before 1 January 2008 |
2,530 |
1,560 |
|
Electricity generation
by firing category O1 biomass only in existing generating
plants |
2,830 |
1,860 |
|
Electricity generation
by firing category O2 biomass only in existing generating
plants |
2,130 |
1,160 |
|
Electricity generation
by firing category O3 biomass only in existing generating
plants |
1,460 |
490 |
|
Electricity generation
by co-firing
category S1 biomass and fossil fuel
mixtures |
|
1,370 |
|
Electricity generation
by co-firing
category S2 biomass and fossil fuel
mixtures |
|
700 |
|
Electricity generation
by co-firing
category S3 biomass and fossil fuel
mixtures |
|
10 |
|
Electricity generation
by parallel firing of category
P1 biomass and fossil fuels |
|
1,640 |
|
Electricity generation
by parallel firing of category
P2 biomass and fossil fuels |
|
970 |
|
Electricity generation
by parallel firing of category
P3 biomass and fossil fuels |
|
280 |
Future programme changes
expected
A
renewed legislation on renewable energy is expected in near future.
Sources
-
The Energy Regulatory Office’s Price Decision No.
2/2010 of 8 November 2010 Laying down support for electricity generation from
renewable energy sources, combined heat & power and secondary energy
sources
http://www.eru.cz/user_data/files/legislativa/english/notice_458/CR_2_2010_en.pdf
-
National programme for the energy
management and the use of renewable sources of energy for 2006 – 2009 (http://www.mpo.cz/dokument12937.html)
-
No. 180/2005 Coll,
ACT of 31 March 2005 on the promotion of electricity production from renewable
energy sources and amending certain acts
http://www.czrea.org/files/pdf_en/zakony/RES_act_english.pdf
-
National Renewable Energy Action
Plan of the
-
Green Saving Programme
http://www.zelenausporam.cz/sekce/582/about-the-green-savings-programme/
-
Operational Programme Environment
http://www.opzp.cz/soubor-ke-stazeni/13/4189-id_2008_11_20_final_en.pdf
-
ECO-ENERGY programme
http://download.mpo.cz/get/30833/43324/519735/priloha013.pdf
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Last
update: December 2011
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