Montenegro to use the potential of renewable sources (RES) – Priority production from solar power plants

Montenegro’s energy strategy should be aimed at increasing the share of energy from renewable sources (RES), solar power plants, as well as less import dependence, said professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Information Technologies in Osijek, Ljubomir Majdandžić.
– Montenegro’s energy strategy should be harmonized with the EU’s goals and should go in the direction of reducing consumption through increasing energy efficiency and increasing the share of energy from renewable sources. The emphasis should be on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, in accordance with the Paris Agreement and EU goals, that is, fulfilling the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and mitigating and adapting to climate change – Majdandžić told Elektroprivreda newspaper.
He believes that special emphasis should be placed on the synergy of energy from hydro, wind and solar power plants.
– The priority should be the installation and production of electricity from solar power plants at the point of consumption up to the power of the connection where it will be produced primarily for own consumption, and the excess energy will be handed over to the power grid. After that, we should start developing large solar power plants up to five MW, but on passive land and on a market basis – explained Majdandžić.
He reminded that it is in the interest of every country to become as little dependent on imports as possible, because it is energy independence and national security.
– The greater the energy independence, the greater the national security of a country. Each country will first supply its citizens with energy, and only then, if there is a surplus, will it be handed over to the interconnection – explained Majdandžić.
He said that distributed production of energy at the point of consumption should be encouraged, and within the framework of implementing energy efficiency measures in high-rise construction through the strategy of constructing buildings with approximately zero energy consumption.
– Operators of distribution systems are increasingly expected to ensure and create preconditions for the active involvement of small energy producers/consumers on the electricity market. It should certainly strive to increase the share of RES, but without special incentives that would burden the accounts of end customers through an increase in their fees – said Majdandžić.
He added that the world is forced to find new sources of energy, considering that the consumption and thus the demand for energy, especially electricity as a universal energy source, is increasing. Those new sources of energy, as he stated, should contribute to the stabilization of the existing situation, as well as to lower emissions of greenhouse gases.
– This is exactly why I see a great opportunity for the world to step forward in the area of RES use and energy efficiency. This particularly applies to the installation of photovoltaic systems on houses, high-rise residential buildings, small businesses and companies for their own consumption – announced Majdandžić.
He explained that in this way the owners of these facilities become less dependent on suppliers and less susceptible to changes in energy prices on the market. According to him, the monthly saved money stays in the family, the city, the region and finally the country, for a better life and standard of citizens.
– It would be an addition to pensions, salaries, scholarships and social welfare. As the use of solar energy is of a local nature, it leads to the wider community and, finally, the state to create new jobs and invest in rural areas and poorly developed places – said Majdandžić.
He added that in this way the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is ensured, the state exports electricity, citizens become richer, and new local jobs are created in the production, design, assembly, supervision, commissioning, maintenance, marketing and promotion of solar photovoltaic systems.
Majdandžić also announced that the share of electricity produced from solar power plants in EU countries last year was seven percent, and in Croatia it was one percent.
– If Croatia had such a share in the total consumption, then a thousand MW of solar power plants should be installed in it already, and unfortunately we have 200 MW and we are in 26th place in the EU – said Majdandžić.
He added that after Germany with 7.9 GW of new photovoltaic systems, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands and France follow. Those five EU markets remained the same as in 2021, while Portugal and Sweden entered the top ten, at the expense of Hungary and Austria.
– Looking at cumulatively installed photovoltaic systems, rooftop PV systems represent 66% of the installed 208.9 GW throughout the EU, at the end of last year – said Majdandžić.
In the future, he expects an increase in the use of RES and the networking of producers and consumers of electricity using renewable sources through distributed generation of electricity (DPEE).
– Here, the technical profession is faced with a big challenge, and that is – how can the consumption of electricity follow the variable production of energy from RES? The European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) predicts that solar photovoltaic technology will cover 15% of electricity consumption in the EU by 2030, and even 30% in 2040 – said Majdandžić.
He believes that, first of all, the number of small photovoltaic systems will increase to the power of connecting households, apartment buildings, trades or some companies with net metering, and that smaller systems can be connected to RES without any problems.
– In order for this to happen, it is important that electricity is metered through the same billing metering point through which the customer buys electricity from the supplier, but with the installation of a two-way meter and annual billing, the so-called net metering – explained Majdandžić.
He said that all renewable energy sources are important, especially solar energy, biomass and wind, because they are of a local character, and that every country should take advantage of the natural compatibility of RES, because in this way they will achieve technology transfer and more forms of cooperation with developed countries, the world and the EU, but a higher level of foreign investment.
Majdandžić believes that the constant change in the legislative framework disincentivizes companies, but also citizens, to turn to the use of RES as much as possible.
– An undefined policy that, on the one hand, declaratively proclaims the importance of investing in renewable sources, and on the other, discourages investments through legislative regulations, hinders the possibility of green energy achieving multiple positive effects on the economy of every country – said Majdandžić.

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