photovoltaics

The owner of a photovoltaic power plant in South Moravian Tasovice has been trying to connect its production plant to the electricity grid since this spring. The site is located in the distribution territory of the company E.GD, which of the three dominant operators of the electric power system in the Czech Republic is facing the biggest problems with connecting new sources to the network.

The customer still does not have photovoltaics with overflow, where unused energy can be sent to the grid, connected. In June, EG.D sent her a statement, which is available to the editors, in which the company informs her that it will not connect the PV plant with overflow, but connecting the production plant without overflow is possible. However, this would mean that the owner of the solar panels would lose the opportunity to sell unused electricity.

The reason is the exhausted capacity in the network, because it is already occupied by other production plants. At the same time, the distributor informed the client that there are no plans to increase the network capacity at the low voltage level in Tasovice yet.

Although there are not solar panels on every roof in the municipality, the capacity in the network to connect new domestic photovoltaics is still exhausted. There are currently 40 small sources that are connected to the network, or will be so in the near future. The problem lies in the solar parks, which are located near the village and take up the power in the network.

“Several large photovoltaic factories are located on the high voltage lines that supply the Tasovice village. In total, we are talking about an installed power of approx. 11,000 kW. With the average size of domestic FVEs of roughly 7 kW, which is the value from 2022, we are thus talking about already connected power, which represents the equivalent of 1,500 average domestic photovoltaics,” says EG.D spokesman Roman Šperňák.

Connection options and waiting times vary by region. Currently, according to the director of the Solar Association, Jan Krčmář, the average time between the completion of the construction itself and the connection of a small source is in the order of weeks. However, they occasionally observe delays in corporate installations. “We hope that this will not jeopardize the drawing of subsidies from the national recovery plan, which are only paid when the power plant is connected,” says Krčmář.

The road to a solution is slow

However, the situation cannot be resolved in a matter of days, sometimes even months, or even years. “We have been working on strengthening the network for a long time and it must be worked on systematically. We invest five billion crowns annually to restore and strengthen the distribution network. Beyond these planned investments, we expect a further increase in investments by 8.5 billion crowns by 2030, which will lead to a smoother integration of renewable sources,” says Šperňák.

In this area, we would like a bigger shift, which would be reflected in the law and would enable the rapid construction of the capacity of the distribution and transmission system. We don’t see that yet.

Jan Krčmář, director of the Solar Association

Resolution time varies by location. Distributors must proceed according to the approved spatial plans of the municipalities, in accordance with the defined corridors for new high and very high voltage lines. After all, leadership cannot be built everywhere.

“Unfortunately, we encounter inflexible legislation, partly also the resistance of land owners who do not want to accept an easement in the form of electric lines on their land. Subsequently, expropriation may occur,” Šperňák describes the situation.

According to Krčmár, all distributors struggle with complex building permits and land plans. “In this area, we would like a bigger shift, which would be reflected in the law and would enable the rapid construction of the capacity of the distribution and transmission system. We don’t see that yet,” says Krčmář.

EG.D also plans to build a new transformer station in the village of Oblekovice, which should improve the situation in the area of ​​connecting new sources, as it will increase the capacity in the network. “Currently, we are intensively discussing the land under this transformer station. This investment is primarily intended to ensure the security of the supply of electricity for the local industrial zone and to strengthen the capacities of the existing 22 kV lines in the area,” says Šperňák, adding that the transformer station should also improve the situation in Tasovice or Znojmo.

However, it is an investment in the order of hundreds of millions of crowns with an implementation date between 2028 and 2030. “The year of construction significantly affects the property settlement of the new 110 kV line with a length of approximately 5.5 km with the affected municipalities and land owners,” adds Šperňák.

The largest electricity distributor in the Czech Republic, ČEZ Distribuce, is also investing considerable resources in the development, strengthening and renewal of the system. “This year, we plan to implement and complete approximately 17,000 investment buildings in the amount of approximately 16.2 billion crowns, which is the largest volume of investment and construction in history,” says its spokeswoman Soňa Holingerová, adding that since the beginning of the year the company has invested approx. 7.4 billion CZK and completed over 7,800 buildings.

Each year, PREdistribution invests approximately two billion crowns in the modernization of the network. “Investments will, of course, continue at the same level in the following years,” said the company’s spokesperson, Karel Hanzelka.

However, EG.D is facing other difficulties beyond its immediate control that are blocking capacity in its distribution territory. This is because “speculators” also reserve power in it, who often order a larger number of kW, which they not only really need, but which they don’t even have to install in reality.

“In the end, they don’t implement FVE, or they implement it at lower values. The originally exhausted capacity can then be opened for other interested parties,” explains Šperňák.

Photovoltaic companies that have not completed the power plant for their customers also have their share in fulfilling the capacity in the network. Many clients reserved capacity in the network after paying the advance, but the connection or even the start of the construction of photovoltaics did not happen. Moreover, due to the insolvency proceedings and other difficulties of these companies, the solution to the situation is still uncertain.

Southern Moravia has the greatest performance

Other distributors – ČEZ Distribuce and PREdistribuce – do not face problems on such a scale as EG.D.

Although the distribution area of ​​ČEZ Distribuce is much larger than that of EG.D, it does not have a fundamental problem with connecting new sources.

EG.D manages the distribution system in the south of the country, i.e. in the South Bohemian, South Moravian and Zlín regions and the Highlands. Compared to the others, these regions have a higher number of installed photovoltaics in terms of number and power, with the South Moravian Region leading the way – according to the Solar Association, with 558 MW.

“This means that at this moment solar power plants are already connected there and producing, and despite the fact that the location is significantly full, we have connected another 6,500 sources there this year alone. We try to satisfy the needs of clients as much as possible,” says Šperňák.

In the South Moravian Region, where the situation with connection to the grid is the most critical, there were 6,615 PV plants with an output of 65 MWp as of June 30. There was more only in the Central Bohemia region, where there are 8,780 power plants with an output of 76.4 MWp.

According to Hanzelka, it is still true that there are no problems with connecting photovoltaics in the territory of Prague. By the end of the first half of 2023, 1,653 photovoltaics with an output of 134 MWp were connected in the capital.

“In the metropolis, the situation with the construction of photovoltaic power plants is somewhat different, which is due to the urban character of the location. In general, there are fewer single-family houses here, and the distribution network is denser and more robust in the capital than in villages in the countryside, which is why we manage the connection more easily in Prague,” says Hanzelka, adding that they do not reject requests for connection.

Electricity distributors are tasked with ensuring the safety and reliability of the grid. According to the law, however, they have the option to refuse the connection of a new source if the reliability or safety of the distribution system is threatened.

2023-08-30 17:15:24
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