Czech environment ministry commits CZK 7 billion to solar power, storage and community energy

The Ministry of the Environment and the State Environmental Fund will provide five billion crowns to support the construction of solar power plants and the development of community energy, and two billion to establish energy storage facilities. The four new grant calls from the Modernisation Fund target companies, municipalities, regions and energy communities. Applications for energy storage funding open today and will be accepted until 2 June, while applications for the other areas will be accepted from 1 July this year to 30 January next year. The Ministry of the Environment announced this today in a press release.

According to Environment Minister Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL), the newly announced calls will enable Czechia to “make progress in the energy transition and strengthen the energy self-sufficiency of industry and public institutions”. He said that in the less than four years since the Modernisation Fund was established, the ministry has approved support for 2,772 commercial and municipal solar installations with a combined capacity of 2,327 megawatt-peak, generating enough clean electricity to cover the typical annual consumption of more than 660.000 households.

According to the minister, three billion from the first newly announced call under the RES+ programme is earmarked for the installation of new solar power plants with capacities of 50 kilowatts to five megawatts, and from 10 kilowatts in Prague. The investment is primarily aimed at businesses, which can use solar power plants to meet their energy needs, provided that the electricity generated is consumed at the site of production. “The grant support also covers battery storage systems and systems for producing renewable hydrogen, namely electrolysers, and can cover up to one-third of eligible project costs,” Hladík added.

For the next call, the ministry is building on a previous grant programme that attracted strong interest, he said. It is intended for small municipalities with up to 3,000 inhabitants, and the ministry has set aside a further one billion for rooftop solar installations and batteries.

The third call, worth one billion, is intended for larger municipalities, cities, regions and energy communities, and will support joint municipal and community projects involving new solar power plants with an installed capacity of up to one MW. Alongside solar installations, grants are available for battery systems, hydrogen electrolysers, roof repairs where panels will be installed, and upgrades to buildings’ electrical systems.

The last of the newly announced calls has two billion available, according to the Ministry of the Environment, to support the development of electricity storage facilities. Applicants can find documents and details about each call, among other places, on the ministry’s website.

The Modernisation Fund was established by the European Commission to help accelerate the shift away from coal combustion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is funded from the sale of emission allowances.