In April, a record number of solar microgenerators was installed in Latvia

In April, almost 2150 new microgenerators (solar panels in households) were connected to the infrastructure of the electricity distribution system operator AS “Sadales tīkls”, and this is the largest number of microgenerators connected in one month so far. Previously, the highest activity was observed in August 2022, when almost 1,800 microgenerators were connected to the distribution network during the month.

The record-breaking activity can be explained by amendments to the Law on the Electricity Market – according to them, the admission of new participants to the microgeneration net accounting system ended on April 30 of this year, and the new net settlement system came into force on May 1.

Advertising

“We were ready for a large influx of micro-generators in April, which is still positively influenced by the availability of state support programs for the installation of solar panels. As the 30th date approached, the number of applications increased more and more rapidly – even more than 1000 new applications were received in the last week of the month. In order to process all applications by the end of the month, the responsible “Distribution Network” specialists also worked on holidays. In April, we processed each new microgeneration application in an average of 1.5 days – thank you colleagues for your responsible work!” says Sandis Jansons, the chairman of the board of “Sadales nettas”.

Customers of microgeneration and also self-producers of higher capacity electricity (both private individuals and legal entities) will be able to apply for a net settlement system in the future, which will allow the accumulation of produced electricity in euro terms. The new system is administered by electricity traders, and in order to become a member of this system, a relevant contract must be concluded with the chosen trader.

“The net accounting system was one of the prerequisites for the rapid development of microgeneration, because the “kWh for kWh” principle gives its members the opportunity to “virtually” accumulate the amount of electricity produced and not immediately consumed. Registered members of the system will be able to use it until the end of February 2029. On the other hand, the new – net payment system – will not work according to the principle of “virtual battery”, but “virtual wallet”. Therefore, microgeneration in Latvia will continue its development, based on market principles. Therefore, when thinking about installing solar panels, you should evaluate your self-consumption possibilities and electricity price forecasts in the future,” adds S. Jansons.

The total number of microgenerators connected to the distribution system reached 22,200 at the beginning of May, and their total production capacity – 187 megawatts (MW). In about 95% of cases, microgenerators were installed by households themselves.

A micro-generator is an electricity generating device with a capacity of up to 11.1 kW, while generators of higher capacity are classified as power plants.