From December 1, Praguers will be able to join the Prague Renewable Energy Community (PSOE), which will help them with the installation and operation of rooftop solar panels. The City of Technology of the Capital City of Prague (THMP) will then ensure the installation of panels at advantageous prices, said representatives of the municipality and THMP. The city plans to install photovoltaics on its buildings as well, with about a hundred next year.

Mayor’s Deputy Mayor Petr Hlubuček (STAN) said that with regard to the current rise in energy prices, the goal of the development of photovoltaics in the metropolis is, in addition to environmental benefits, also to ensure stable prices. Associations of owners, housing cooperatives, homeowners, small and medium-sized businesses and sole proprietors will be able to apply for the entry of the community into the community, which will also ensure the distribution of electricity to other points of consumption.

PSOE Acting Director Jaroslav Klusák said that people will be able to choose what they need on the web and the algorithm will find a suitable grant program and suggest further action. According to him, in the case of private entities, the organization wants to use the subsidy program New Green Savings, in the case of public organizations the new Modernization Fund. PSOE will help applicants free of charge to obtain grants and project preparation. After the installation of solar panels, they will license their operation and, in case of surpluses, will ensure the distribution of energy to other communities involved.

According to Hlubuček, the city also wants to make it easier for people to install the panels themselves, which is to be ensured by THMP. “The city company can work with a minimum margin and as the capital we will have an impact on the fair price of work on the Prague market,” said Hlubuček. The company will also provide installation for city buildings.

According to city and company representatives, THMP has the right know-how because it takes care of the city’s public lighting. “We have a large capacity in the preparation of projects, we have our own electrical designers, we have our own inspection equipment,” said the company’s director Tomáš Jílek. He added that the company is to start installing functional panels within a few months and that the use of the company’s service control room to monitor the equipment is also planned.

The city plans to install panels on its buildings through the company. According to earlier statements, there are about 7,000 of them, and next year photovoltaics should appear on the first roughly one hundred roofs. According to the approved climate strategy, the city’s goal is to install panels on 20,000 Prague buildings by 2030 and gain several megawatts of power. City councilors recently approved the first project to install panels on the Černý Most apartment building.

According to a recent analysis carried out for the Energy Self-Sufficiency Alliance by the consulting company EkoWATT, the roofs of family and apartment buildings in and around the metropolis can provide enough photovoltaic power for 120,000 to 170,000 households. Otherwise, the installed capacity of solar power plants in the Czech Republic has been stagnant or growing only slightly since 2012. According to experts, the reason is the support of the field of renewable resources after the so-called solar boom.

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