Investors in this particular field received 27% higher subsidies than wind power producers, even though the nameplate capacity in photovoltaic parks is 2.5 times lower than in wind farms and moreover, the investments required by a photovoltaic park have been lower than those in a wind farm in the last few years.
The problem here is that most solar park investments were made in 2013, when costs per megawatt had already gone down from the peak of EUR4 million (2008-2009) to EUR1.3 million. Those whose solar parks became operational in 2013 were covered by a generous support scheme designed around the maximum investment level. The scheme was amended as late as 2014.
“The number of certificates awarded varies with each technology,” says Zoltan Nagy-Bege, member of the regulatory board of the energy market watchdog ANRE.
National grid company Transelectrica (TEL.RO) data show 11.7 million green certificates were issued for the electricity delivered into the grid in January-November. The certificates were worth about 1.7 billion lei (EUR380 million).
According to the data published by OPCOM energy exchange, the average price of a green certificate was almost RON145 last year, down 25% on the 2013 average.
Transelectrica reports also show that 5 million out of the 11.7 million green certificates issued in January-November 2014 went to solar power producers, while wind power producers got about 3.9 million.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)