PV energy in Romania 

General  

According to the Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources the target for the share of energy from renewable sources in gross final consumption of energy in the year 2020 for Romania is 24% (in the year 2005 the share was 17.8%).

Renewable electricity: PV

Latest research indicate that Romania's PV annual potential is 1,200 GWh. In 2010 Romania reported 1,9 MW of total installed PV capacity. The so far moderate development of PV market in Romania pales in comparison to the Bulgaria's uptake, considering similar irradiation (the PV average 1,220 kWh/kW (1,525 kWh/m2/year).

In Romania there is a mandatory quota system accompanied by Green Certificates (GC) system. In 2008, the mandatory quota of RES in the national gross electricity consumption was 5,26%. The RES-E mandatory annual quotas for 2010-2020 have been amended, as follows: 2010: 8.3%; 2015: 16%, 2020: 20%. For the years 2020-2030, the quotas shall be set through a governmental decision and cannot be lower than the quota for 2020. Suppliers failing to meet the RES-E mandatory annual quotas are subject to penalties amounting to €110 per non-acquired green certificate. Beginning in 2011 this value shall be adjusted annually by the average inflation index registered in December of the previous year. The resulting amounts are collected by the system and transport operator and transferred into the Fund for the Environment (managed by the Ministry for the Environment). These amounts are aimed at supporting the generation of RES-E by natural persons choosing to invest in facilities with an installed capacity of maximum 100 kWp.

The amendments to Law no. 220/2008 for the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources (New RES-E Law No. 138/2010) provide for a different commissioning deadline, and offer longer term perspective on the trading values of green certificates and on the RES-E quotas to be complied with by suppliers. Only RES-E facilities commissioned before the end of 2016 are eligible under the RES-E support scheme. The deadline for commissioning of power plants that may benefit from the RES-E support scheme has been extended from 2014 to 2016. Solar energy is rewarded with six green certificates per MWh of RES-E produced and delivered. The Amended RES-E Law introduces a longer term perspective on the trading values of the green certificates. For 2008-2025, the range of trading values per green certificate is set a minimum of €27 and a maximum of €55. From 2025 onwards the trading value of the green certificates shall be determined by the market, but cannot be lower than the minimum trading value for 2025. Beginning in 2011 these trading values shall be adjusted yearly by the average inflation index registered in December of the previous year.

Main axis of RES support policy in Romania has been the Operational Programme “Competitiveness and Economic Growth” supported from Structural and Cohesion funds. Small companies are eligible for subsidies covering up to 70% of the succumbed costs, medium size companies can get 60%, and large ones are offered the subsidy covering half of their eligible costs. The only exception to these payments are the investments realized within the capital city Bucharest, where subsidies are slightly lower than everywhere else (60% instead of 70%, etc.). Up to 98% of costs can be covered if the investor represents local authorities. There was a single project in the field of PV application approved for financing in 2009 (PV power plant of around 250 kWp owned by the Municipality of Alba Iulia). With financial aid provided by the European structural funds - European Regional Development Fund - and support from national budget several new plants will be installed - up to 10 MWp by 2011.

PV producers whose systems do not exceed 10 MWp do not need to pay for grid connection. However, in order to connect to the grid, investors must obtain a lot of permits and licenses, namely the generation license, the qualification certificate for the electricity priority production, registration at the Electricity Market Operator. Systems exceeding 250 kWp require also installation approval from ANRE (the National Agency for Energy Regulations).

Renovatio Group announced the launch of the largest and the most technologically advanced photovoltaic panel manufacturing facility in Eastern Europe. The factory has a total capacity of 50 MWp and will produce 250,000 panels per year. It comprises a storage and supply facility, a production facility and a research and development facility, which supports the company's constant preoccupation for product improvement and efficiency. The project has been executed within 18 months. Renovatio Solar will produce 9 types of high performance mono and polycrystalline photovoltaic panels with various nominal power values, ranging from 225 Wp to 250 Wp. The products will be marketed in the European Union, primarily in Italy, Portugal, Bulgaria, and Romania, where Renovatio Group has a well-established presence and activities in the renewable energy field. Renovatio Group chose Romania for its manufacturing operations due to the highly skilled local work force and the logistic facilities in the area. The manufacturing facility covers a total area of 3,000 sqm and is located in Satu-Mare, Romania. Renovatio Group has a well-established presence and activities in the renewable energy field. What we are determined to do is to go beyond the simple manufacturer status and to support the Renovatio Solar product offer with a specialized service offer. Apart from manufacturing and retail, we come in with EPC services,  turnkey solutions and after sales support.

Future programme changes expected

According to NREAP the estimated total contribution from PV energy in Romania will reach 148 MWp in 2015 and meet the binding target of 260 MWp in 2020.

PV potential in Romania is estimated to be achieved mostly by installation on the roofs. Fast growth can be limited by the fact that until 2020 the grid capacity.

Mayor of Cluj Napoca Municipality (central west) Sorin Apostu announced in December 2010, the building of the biggest (over 180 ha) Photovoltaic Park, in Romania. The solar panels to be installed here, are to cover the electricity demand and the street lighting of the Cluj Napoca City Hall and its subordinated institutions, the Municipal Hospital included. WWS Energy Development LLC will get a photovoltaic park built here, and 30 percent of the electricity it puts out, but not less than 3,550 MWp, per year is supplied to the city hall. The Park is due to be completed by the end of 2011. Mayor of Cluj Napoca Municipality (central west) Sorin Apostu announced, on Thursday Dec 9, the building of the biggest (over 180 ha) Photovoltaic Park, in Romania. The solar panels to be installed here, are to cover the electricity demand and the street lighting of the Cluj Napoca City Hall and its subordinated institutions, the Municipal Hospital included. 

The Local Council of the city of central Sfantu Gheorghe approved the award of a 4-ha plot of land for the construction of a solar park. The total value of the investment is put at RON 45 million (more than 10 million euros) and the local authorities will attempt to raise one third of the amount under the Regional Operational Programme, the renewable resources component. The electricity to be generated by the future sun station, designed for a 2.4-MW capacity and a nominal power of 2.2MW, will be used to provide public lighting for the city and the own consumption of some bodies under the authority of the Local Council. The sun panels could meet 85 percent of the electricity demand of the city, and that would mean important savings for the local budget.

Târgu Jiu Solar Park, a large thin-film photovoltaic (PV) power system, is being built on a 10 ha plot of land near the Târgu Jiu city in Romania. The power plant will be a 4-megawatt solar power system using state-of-the-art thin film technology, and should be finished by the end of 2012. The solar park is expected to supply 2,000 MWh of electricity per year. Installed solar panels will produce about 3.4 Megawatts/hour.  The installation will be in the Gorj County in central-western Romania, to be built on a 10 hectares plot of land in the city of Târgu Jiu. The investment cost for the Târgu Jiu solar park amounts to some Euro 20 million.  Electricity produced in this park will be used for illumination of public spaces, at schools and utilised for the local public transport (trolleybuses)

Sources

www.pv-nms.net/

Renovatio, 3rd June 2010

http://www.financiarul.ro/2010/07/02/solar-park-to-be-built-near-sfantu-ghorghe/

http://www.actmedia.eu/2010/12/16/top+story/cluj+mayor+announces+biggest+photovoltaic+park+to+be+built+in+romania+/31213

http://www.ecomagazin.ro/parc-fotovoltaic-in-locul-celui-mai-mare-cartier-din-transilvania/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%A2rgu_Jiu_Solar_Park

http://www.finantare.ro/stire-14613-Parc-fotovoltaic-in-municipiul-Targu_Jiu.html

http://www.ecomagazin.ro/targu-jiu-unda-verde-pentru-parcul-fotovoltaic/

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/renewables/transparency_platform/doc/national_renewable_energy_action_plan_romania_en.pdf

http://static.globaltrade.net/files/pdf/20110124125346.pdf

http://www.enercee.net/single/article/58/romania-establishes-largest-photovoltaic-panel-manufactory-in-eastern-europe.html

http://www.czrea.org/files/pdf_en/studie/PV-NMS-2009.pdf http://www.actmedia.eu/2010/12/16/top+story/cluj+mayor+announces+biggest+photovoltaic+park+to+be+built+in+romania+/31213

http://www.renewable-energy-sources.com/2009/10/26/romania-prices-for-energy-from-renewable-source/ 

http://www.salans.com/en-gb/Locations/~/media/Assets/Salans/Publications/Bucharest%20Legal%20Alert%20on%20Renewables%20Legislation_July%202010.ashx

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last update: 1^st March 2011

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