According to the capital’s ideas, a community network of renewables and their consumers should be established, who will be able to share the electricity produced with each other. The Prague Renewable Energy Community (PSOE) should help Praguers to prepare projects and obtain subsidies.

“In recent weeks, we have witnessed a dramatic rise in energy prices, which will affect every household in the coming months, including Prague. The answer to the uncertainty associated with rising coal electricity prices is to accelerate the transition to renewable sources and thus increase the energy self-sufficiency of apartment buildings and households, “says Petr Hlubuček, STAN, Deputy Minister for the Environment and Infrastructure.

However, it started preparing the power plant project before the energy crisis as part of the Climate Plan. Photovoltaic panels therefore play a role in meeting Prague’s climate commitments and contribute to reducing emissions in municipalities in the city.

Help with subsidies and the project

In the first phase, the management of Prague counts on the construction of solar panels on the roofs of city buildings. By 2030, thousands of them could be equipped with photovoltaics. The next step is to involve the community of apartment owners, owners of apartment and family houses or other suitable real estate in Prague in the network of power plants, in order to support investments in solar panels on their buildings.

PSOE therefore offers homeowners assistance in obtaining grant grants, possible bank loans and project preparation. PSOE wants to use a number of subsidy programs to build power plants, such as the Modernization Fund, New Green Savings and others to support the construction of renewable sources. They can also help private investors with project financing.

“Those interested can register on the website www.pripojdum.cz. For the initial registration, it is sufficient to state the addresses of the apartment or family house and the basic parameters, such as the number of floors, the number of housing units and the like. On the website, we automatically calculate the theoretical potential of the installation, including the basic investment, possible subsidies, savings and so on. After leaving contact, the employees of the Prague Renewable Community will contact them regarding further personal meetings and specification of the project parameters, “explains PSOE director Jaroslav Klusák.

Each connected participant will be able to use energy from their sources and at the same time with other owners of the property and also the city and its building stock. Thanks to their own production and consumed electricity, homeowners will save on electricity supplies from the grid. The PSOE also transmits unused electricity to another member of the community on mutually advantageous terms.

The Technology of the Capital City of Prague (THMP) will also be involved in the project from municipal companies. The company will mainly contribute to the installation of solar power plants on the roofs of buildings. They will provide electrical designers, electricians and workers for high-altitude work on roofs at their disposal.

The PSOE will launch next year

Praguers can apply for the PSOE from December 1. According to Klusák, the Energy Regulatory Office could issue a license authorizing the PSOE to trade in electricity by the end of this year. If all goes according to plan, the PSOE could begin full action on January 1, 2022.

As part of the power plant’s pilot project, Prague should place the first solar panels on the roofs of two apartment buildings in Černý Most. The city plans to install them next year. He estimates the price of the project, which is now in the tender, at eight million crowns.

“The project in Černý Most is one of the first swallows we carry out as part of the conversion of energy on city buildings,” said Jan Chabr, Councilor for Property (TOP 09). “In this case, it is an apartment building, where the future customers will be directly individual tenants. By having the energy produced here directly with the local customer, there will be savings in the photo to get the electricity produced into the central system. We would like to go in this direction to a large part of other city buildings, “adds the councilor.