A year on, dozens of Czech apartment buildings share electricity from their own source

Dozens of apartment buildings in Czechia have so far taken advantage of the option to share electricity generated by their own source among households. Distributors currently record around 42 participating projects. They say interest is gradually growing. This follows from information provided by energy companies to the Czech News Agency (ČTK). Since the beginning of last year, buildings have been able to distribute electricity generated, for example, by a photovoltaic power plant on their roof among individual households.

ČEZ has recorded the most applications for energy sharing in apartment buildings in its distribution area. „Last year, we received 78 applications or inquiries about sharing electricity in apartment buildings. After the applications were processed, 45 entities ultimately took up the option to share electricity,“ spokesperson Soňa Holingerová said.

However, sharing may not have taken off in all participating apartment buildings: at customers’ request, ČEZ ended sharing at six projects. There are currently 39 active apartment-building sharing arrangements in the ČEZ Distribuce network. Holingerová said interest in sharing in apartment buildings has risen slightly in recent months. ČEZ has connected its largest project by number of participants at a single location in northern Bohemia, where 81 consumption points are connected. On average, however, each sharing arrangement involves around five consumers, the spokesperson said.

Three projects are currently connected in EG.D’s distribution area, which covers mainly the southern part of the country. „They are located in South Bohemia, South Moravia and the Zlín Region. Otherwise, we have mainly received various inquiries from people interested in the topic,“ company spokesperson Roman Šperňák said. The company has created a website with information for this purpose.

No energy-sharing project in an apartment building is currently connected in Prague. „There is quite a lot of interest, though. We are currently working with several apartment buildings. We will probably register the first sharing arrangement from March 1,“ said Karel Hanzelka, spokesperson for PREdistribuce. He added that it would involve 104 consumption points across four entrances of one prefabricated apartment block.

Since last year, a decree issued by the Czech Energy Regulatory Office has allowed households in apartment buildings to share electricity. The decree enabled electricity sharing by introducing a lead consumption point, the only one in the apartment building, to which a shared source would be connected. Surplus electricity not consumed in the building will also be sold to the grid through this consumption point. The associated consumption points for individual apartments will continue to operate alongside the lead point, allowing residents to continue choosing their own electricity supplier. This is intended to make sharing available only to households that have expressed interest.

From this year, it will also be possible to establish energy communities, which will be able to share locally generated electricity via the distribution network. Electricity can then be shared at other delivery points too, for example from a holiday cottage to an apartment, or within communities that have been set up. The change was introduced by last year’s amendment to the Energy Act, and the first communities could begin operating in the middle of the year.