Montenegro has exceptional potential for the production of electricity based on the principle of the photovoltaic effect, which is why Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) launched the Solari 5000+ project, which, in addition to individual facilities of physical and legal entities, plans to install the system in residential buildings up to four stories high.
This was announced at the presentation of the SOLARI 5000+ project, held during the second day of the EPCG NET 2023 Energy Symposium. Executive Director of the Directorate for RES EPCG Željko Pekić said that the company launched the Solari 5000+ 70MW project, which is a continuation of the Solari 3000+ and 500+ projects.
Considering the solar potential on the territory of Montenegro, as well as the population density, the planned representation of the installation of photovoltaic systems is 40% of installations on the coast, 40% of installations in the middle part and 20% of installations in the south – stated Pekić.
He explained that the value of the project can amount to a maximum of EUR 70 million, while the total installed power can amount to a total of 70 megawatts. The project includes buildings with an approved connection power that must be equal to or greater than the power of the photovoltaic system that is planned to be installed, a three-phase connection to the distribution network, roof surfaces that have good solar potential, buildings whose roof surfaces are not shaded by neighboring buildings, buildings with roof covering: tile, sheet metal, panel and flat concrete slab and buildings whose owners are regular payers – stated Pekić.
Mirjana Mirotić, head of the sector for logistics and warehouse operations in the Directorate for Renewable Energy Sources, clarified that in that sector they communicate with buyers-producers in the segment of contracting for the installation of solar systems and providing technical and administrative documentation, as well as with service providers for the installation and maintenance of solar systems on facilities of customer-producers.
We also deal with the development of plans for the installation of solar systems on the facilities of future customers-producers, communication with service providers for the installation and maintenance of solar systems on the facilities of customers-producers, processing and archiving of technical and financial documentation and providing technical support to existing customers-producers during the period of exploitation of solar system – stated Mirotić.
Speaking about the new government policies and regulations in that area, Mirotić said that policy change in Montenegro follows positive trends, while in the world the further development of policies does not go in a stimulating direction. In order to ensure the sustainability of the solar industry, the impact of current policies should be reduced – said Mirotić.
She reminded that Montenegro adopted the Energy Development Strategy of Montenegro until 2030, the National Action Plan for the use of energy from renewable sources until 2020, local energy plans adopted on the basis of the Law on Energy, changes to the law on taxation of the FN system.
VAT was reduced from 21 to seven percent, which compensated to a good extent the 15% increase in purchase prices last year. Also, there is an exemption from the application of the Law on Public Procurement when it comes to the procurement of photovoltaic system components – Mirotić said.
The head of the invoicing service for photovoltaic systems in the Directorate for Renewable Energy Sources, Mladen Dašić, explained that in that department they create a series of expenses and generate invoices for users of photovoltaic systems within the software solution developed for the needs of the Directorate for Renewable Energy Sources.
Also, we deal with the creation of RES loans for users of photovoltaic systems and generation of repayment plans with the possibility of one-time payment of installed equipment and materials or in monthly installments – said Dašić.
He explained that the monthly repayment of FN equipment is calculated in an amount that is close to the average monthly bill for the consumed electricity of the user.
Fiscalization of invoices and their reduction by 20%, as an Eco-Fund subsidy to FNS users and an incentive for energy production from renewable sources. Delivery of invoices to FNS users together with a repayment plan and instructions for paying the monthly or one-time obligation – said Dašić.
He pointed out that the FNS Invoicing Service represents the last link in the work process of the RES Directorate, which as the final product in the work delivers invoices to FNS users for installed FN equipment and materials.
The head of the monitoring service in the Directorate for Renewable Energy Sources, Rajko Šebek, said that it is challenging to start monitoring the FN system, explaining that in the future, that sector will be the dispatch center for consumers.
It is important to point out that monitoring represents the supervision of every aspect of the FN system by monitoring the production of all power plants on a daily basis and a special analysis of each of them, daily, weekly and monthly, reporting on the production of power plants and on errors in the operation of power plants due to correction, as well as the coordination of work and the cooperation of the Directorate with all parts of society – explained Šebek.
He indicated that in that service they check the database and ensure the entry of all necessary data, form the entire database of consumers in the Directorate for RES, ensure secure data transmission and consolidate and migrate data in their own database.
As part of the Symposium, Assoc. Dr. Martin Ćalasan, professor of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Podgorica, held a lecture “Optimal location of distributed energy sources – science and practice”. Ćalasan said that we live in a time where increasing attention is paid to renewable energy sources.
When we talk about the optimal location, it means where to locate distributed consumption in the distribution network at the consumer, while improving the performance of the distribution network. Here, first of all, it is thought that losses in the distribution network are reduced and that voltage conditions in that network are improved – said Ćalasan.
He said that he conducted research with a team of master’s and doctoral students at the Faculty, during which they came to the conclusion that it would be optimal to connect a distribution network at the radial outlet of a distribution network, if it is the end of the network, up to 50% of the peak power of distributed energy sources.
However, a larger capacity of distributed sources can be connected to the network, but those distributed production units should be located as close as possible to the transformer station. Also, they should be distributed as much as possible along the distribution drains – stated Ćalasan.
All this, he added, is in accordance with numerous international standards and recommendations that apply to individual countries.
First of all, this refers to the countries of the EU and America, which also say to what extent and in what value distributed production can be connected to the distribution network – Ćalasan concluded.
