energiaTa ("YourEnergy") - enabling prosumers in Romania
EnergiaTa (“YourEnergy”) is a Romanian initiative launched to make prosumers (small producers of clean energy, from renewable sources, energy which can be injected into the grid) a reality in Romania and to accelerate the transition to a green economy.
There is now the legal framework necessary for prosumers to exist, a success to which energiaTa contributed by bringing together all the stakeholders in the energy sector. From 0 prosumers in 2019, there are now over 20,000.
National
Romania
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It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
2022-10-31
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Asociatia Solar Decatlon Bucuresti Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Dalia Last name of representative: Stoian Gender: Female Nationality: Romania Function: Board Member Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Bulevardul Lacul Tei 116 Town: Bucharest Postal code: 020381 Country: Romania Direct Tel:+40 727 512 060 E-mail:dalia.stoian@energiata.org Website:https://energiata.org/
EnergiaTa (“YourEnergy”) is a Romanian initiative launched in 2016 in order to make prosumers (small producers of clean energy, from renewable sources, energy which can be injected into the grid) a reality in Romania and to accelerate the transition to a green economy.
In 2016, Romania was in last place in Europe with a difficult PVs authorisation process that took over 450 days just for the mounting. Even after this period, injecting surplus energy into the grid was impossible.
After EFdeN's experience of designing and building 2 solar, sustainable, 100% electric houses, awarded nationally and internationally, we could not inject the energy produced into the network. Frustrated by this fact, we started the energiaTa project.
We started with an awareness campaign where we exposed the problem and the huge energy potential that Romania has from solar resources.
We organized workshops, conferences and round tables where for the first time NGOs, companies, media, and public administrations were involved. To convince the authorities, we created the largest community of Prosumers, with over 18,500 daily active members and counting.
Finally, after 3 years of work on January 1st, 2019, the law that defines the term prosumer, essential fiscal simplifications and the obligation of distributors and suppliers to connect prosumers to the grid, with a personal thank you from the Romanian president for our effort.
It did not stop there, several improvements were still needed to simplify the process. One key aspect is that it successfully managed to eliminate the unnecessary requirement for obtaining a construction permit for mounting PV panels.
Later starting in 2022 the limit for the installed power of prosumers raised from 27kW in 2019 to 400kW, so small and medium-sized installations can be implemented easier than ever.
Four years ago prosumers did not exist, today in Romania there are over 20,000 prosumers, and there is potential to
Solar Energy
Prosumers
Sustainability
Community
Legal Framework
I. Legal Framework
The main key objective was to create the legal framework for prosumers to exist, this way we can enable individuals to contribute to the decarbonising of energy production goals.
In 2016 the Energy Union already envisioned having ‘the citizens at its core’ where they can ‘take ownership of the energy transition, benefit from new technologies to reduce their bills, participate actively in the market and where vulnerable consumers are protected’.
To cover the national energy consumption an installed capacity of 50,000 MW in photovoltaic energy is required, occupying an area of only 1,250 square kilometres - 0.5% of the surface of Romania or an area the size of Bucharest.
When we started this project solar energy accounted for only 2.7% of the energy mix in Romania, now it is 7.5% with almost 1,400 MW installed.
II. Simplifying the process
Being in the last place in Europe with over 450 days for the PV authorisation process was not a great place to be. By eliminating a lot of the unnecessary requirements, now the whole process from design to implementation and authorisation only takes about 2-3 months depending on the availability of the materials.
III. Increasing the prosumer's adoption rate
Once the legal framework was in place, the next step was to promote this new opportunity to the general public. To do that we created a Guide with everything you need to know about solar energy, all the steps required to become a prosumer and even maintenance tips.
The legal framework also enabled national subsidies to exist. There have already been 2 sessions of the “Green House” national programme that provides financial aid for individuals who want to become prosumers, and the latest session has been announced for this year with enough budget for 150,000 beneficiaries.
In our problem mapping, we discovered that creating a legal framework for the prosumers is not enough.
Thus, we set out to create the Prosumer’s Guide with the following objectives:
1. Gather all the information about the authorisation process, the technical equipment, economic scenarios, solar energy and more, all in one place for easy access
2. Have all the information gathered be correct, concise and easy to understand for anybody, be they a PV enthusiast or someone who doesn’t even know what a prosumer is
3. Debunk the myths around photovoltaic panels and solar energy
In order to find answers and clarifications to our community’s queries we used our relations with the media, authorities and stakeholders. We gathered all the questions, addressed them at once, and communicated the conclusions to the community, thus minimising the requests that the authorities and companies would have received if every consumer acted individually.
After we gathered all the necessary information we partnered with a team experienced in graphical design so that the guide, despite containing technical and legal information, is easy to read by anyone.
Accessibility was also important, so we made it available for free. It has become an instrument used by installers and large energy companies in order to more easily explain the process to those interested in becoming prosumers.
Inclusion was a key component of our project and we can group the objectives into 3 separate categories:
Energy for all
Promote the benefits of becoming a prosumer to the general public
Gain the stakeholders’, authorities’ and public trust and be a mediator between them so that we can get faster to the solution and ensure a fair deal for everyone involved
Enabling individuals to become energy independent
Community
Have a common place for discussions for ongoing information, and problems where both prosumers and stakeholders can communicate easily
Participative process
Make authorities aware of the problems and the need for a legal framework
Make distributors and energy suppliers aware of the technical implications and the benefits of having prosumers
1. Energy for all
In the current landscape with energy becoming more and more expensive, being energy independent is a valuable component of achieving financial freedom. The legal framework has enabled individuals to depend as little as possible on energy providers. In addition, it has also created the possibility for prosumers’ subsidies.
More exactly, the Environmental Fund Administration has started 2 new programmes aimed at PV installations:
- One for prosumers subsidising 4,000 euros, or 90% of the total cost. The program is now in its second session with a third one just announced, having the budget to cover up to 150,000 new prosumers
- One for isolated homes subsidising 5,000 euros, or 100% of the total cost.
2. Community
In our Facebook group that we have created we’ve gathered organically over 18,500 participants (authorities, installers. Energy providers, prosumers, etc.) and we plan on launching a forum on our website so that we can follow the discussions easier.
3. Participative process
In creating and modifying the legal framework process we have successfully integrated all the stakeholders, from energy providers, and authorities, to media, universities and potential prosumers.
In the current community, the 18,500+ members, made up of potential prosumers, installers, companies, had an active contribution to the process by proposing solutions and participating in meetings, debates and discussions.
The installers offered a realistic perspective, based on market needs, regarding the applicability of legislative norms and guidelines.
The companies and institutions came with clarifications to the concerns of the community, related to their field of activity. A good example is Transelectrica, which explained the entire inverter validation process. Thus they eliminated one of the biggest problems, the inverter being the essential component between the national electrical network and the prosumer.
We brought together all the stakeholders in the energy sector: Public Administration, Companies, Energy Providers, Installers, NGOs and Media.
At the national level, by organising workshops and roundtables with all the stakeholders, different solutions have been proposed and implemented to reach the goal and reduce the duration needed for installing PVs and ensure the right of the final consumers to become prosumers.
For example, the installers offered a realistic perspective, based on market needs, regarding the applicability of legislative norms and guidelines.
Also, the companies and institutions came with clarifications to the concerns of the community, based on their field of activity. A good example is Transelectrica, which clearly explained the entire inverter validation process. Thus, they eliminated one of the biggest problems because the inverter is the essential component between the national electrical network and the prosumer.
Moreover, the press played a very important role in this process by making the problem of prosumers a problem that could no longer be ignored.
We participated in over 30 energy events where we exposed the problems and expressed the need for unblocking the prosumers market and together with other organisations we organised our own national campaign.
Internationally, we participated in the biggest event in energy, EU Sustainable Energy Week, workshops with different organisations, and EU commissioners during the CEE NGO study tour and had 1-on-1 meetings with our national MEPs.
The general public, stakeholders and also international bodies that we knew would listen to us and take us seriously, helped us to put enough pressure on the authorities. Changing this law is an example of what can happen when authorities, the private sector, and the non-governmental environment collaborate under media pressure, each bringing their own expertise.
There have been many types of expertise involved in making this project. In the parliamentary discussions and all the round tables, some of the experts include:
- technical professionals not only for the electrical subjects, the structural ones regarding the mounting of PVs and all the implications on the energy supply infrastructure
- financial professionals, because in order for prosumers to be remunerated easily there were required some changes to the tax code.
On the communication side, we needed social media experts so that we could promote all the new changes as effectively as possible, graphical designers to make the Prosumer’s Guide as intelligible as possible and professional copywriters that could help us in presenting all the technical and legal information in a simple manner, for anyone to understand.
Lastly but not least, all the funds required for the project were obtained through sponsorships so we applied our fundraising abilities learned through years of Solar Decathlon participations where we had to obtain much bigger budgets.
We did an impossible thing possible: since 2019, Romanian people get money for the energy injected into the network. Moreover, the process is much simplified and the costs much reduced. During this time, the community we created has reached over 18,500 members and is constantly growing. Also, a new market for companies from Romania has been created which now generates jobs.
The actual changes are of a legislative nature:
• Law 184/2018 - Law defining the term of prosumer, essential tax simplifications and the obligation of distributors and suppliers to accept prosumers
• Order 228 / 28.12.2018 - Order for the approval of the Technical Norm (Technical conditions for connection to the electrical network)
• Order 227 / 28.12.2018 - Order approving the framework contract for the sale and purchase of electricity produced by prosumers
• Order 226 / 28.12.2018 - Order for the approval of the rules for the marketing of electricity produced by prosumers
The legislative changes have unlocked more opportunities in the energy sector. A good example is the initiative of the Environmental Fund Administration which started 2 financing programs, to stimulate the development of photovoltaic systems:
• One for prosumers subsidizing 20,000 lei, or 90% of the total cost.
• One for isolated homes subsidizing 25,000 lei, or 100% of the total cost
EnergiaTa in numbers:
• In 2 years we had over 200k views on the energiaTa website and over 110k unique viewers
• >18,500 members of the prosumers’ community
• >6000 followers of the Facebook page
• >30k comments in the community per year
• >43k reactions in the community per year
EnergiaTa was not the first organisation to campaign for prosumers, but it was the first to bring everyone to the same table, forming the Community of Prosumers.
Being too young and too small of a team to be taken seriously, we had to find a way to appear more imposing and influential than we were. We worked on the National Energy Strategy and participated in workshops and at 1-on-1 meetings with national MEPs and European Commissioners not only for gaining knowledge but also for endorsing. We knew that the local authorities respected and took them seriously, so having them as allies was a big plus.
In the sector in which we operate, it is the first project of this kind. We have created a community of prosumers and a more efficient communication channel between them and the decision-makers, through which we can reach the desired results.
In one year, we managed to introduce prosumers at all energy conferences and discussions, find allies and include prosumers in the national energy strategy.
The Prosumer’s Guide is the only resource of its kind that manages to have all the information needed about becoming a prosumer, with details about solar energy, technical solutions, authorisations, sizing and process.
We managed to have a complete and useful guide not only for the public but also for the installers, distributors and local authorities, and we managed to do this with a team of only 3 people!
In order to reach our goals (reduce the duration needed for installing PVs and ensure the right of the final consumers to become prosumers) we approached the problem from 3 directions:
National Campaign
International Support
Legislation and Norms
I. National campaign
After mapping the problems we organised workshops and roundtables with all the stakeholders (Distributors, Energy suppliers, installers), authorities, media, NGOs, the general public and the academic sector where we discussed them and possible solutions.
In addition, we participated in over 30 energy events where we exposed the current problems and expressed the need for unblocking the prosumers market. Together with RoGBC, we had a national campaign with 10 events in 8 major Romanian cities.
In order to present much clearer the chaos people had to go through in order to install photovoltaic panels at their homes, in terms of time, money and redundant requirements, we developed the first Prosumer’s Guide in 2017. Then after we solved the problem, a new guide was necessary with a brand new purpose, it explains everything about solar energy, the steps required, the technical equipment needed, myths and advice in order to generate awareness about this new market sector, and make it as easy as possible for anyone to become a prosumer.
Moreover, we had 4 notable media appearances, on national TV(PRO TV on ‘I love you Romania’ and TVR) and on YouTube (George Buhnici).
II. International support
Internationally we participated in the biggest event in energy, EU Sustainable Energy Week, workshops with different organisations, and EU commissioners during the CEE NGO study tour and had 1-on-1 meetings with our national MEPs.
We were too young to put enough pressure on authorities, so we used the general public, locally, and also international bodies that we knew would listen to and take seriously.
III. Legislation and Norms
In 2017 we contributed to the National Energy Strategy and contrib
The model can be replicated in multiple subjects and fields. There are 3 main components:
Collaboration, bringing everyone together and learning from different perspectives. Not one real problem is effectively solved by one individual or organisation.
Information, gathering all the necessary data and presenting it in an easy-to-understand and impactful way.
Persistence, keeping the pressure on the people you need to convince and don’t give up.
The climate problem is highly complex and complicated, which needs an interdisciplinary cross-sectorial approach, thus no one entity could solve it by itself. The above-mentioned strategies can be applied in all aspects of the climate and energy transition, to reach better and more equitable solutions for everyone.
Romania, as a member of the United Nations and the European Union, must make efforts to increase energy efficiency, make the transition to a green economy based on non-polluting energy sources, and thus contribute to achieving the objective of limiting global warming up to 1.5oC by the end of the century.
Buildings are responsible for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions at the European level, thus is a sector with a very high weight and therefore with a great potential for improvement.
On the 21st of February 2023 there will be 2 new tools for the prosumers market. They are going to be launched at the greatest event for the energy industry in Romania, ZF Power Summit.
The first tool is a Prosumers Map that is a link between the prosumers and the installers. The second is the forum for creating a better space for discussions.
