EG.D connects a record 27,300 solar plants in Czechia, nearly triple year on year

EG.D, part of the E.ON Group, connected a record number of photovoltaic power plants to its distribution grid last year. There were 27,300 new plants with a total installed capacity of around 330 megawatts (MW). Year on year, that was nearly three times as many plants and more than three times the installed capacity. The number of applications to connect renewable energy sources to the grid was also high: for the second year in a row, there were more than 30,000, E.ON spokesman Roman Šperňák told reporters today.

„The huge interest in connecting photovoltaic power plants, which began in 2022 and naturally continued into 2023, presented us with a number of challenges. We had to handle not only a huge volume of applications to connect photovoltaic systems to the grid, but also ensure that plants that had already been installed were brought into operation. We digitised the application and processing procedures for grid connections and were the first to offer applicants an online connection-capacity map, showing which areas of our grid had reached their current capacity limits and helping customers choose the most suitable type of renewable energy source,“ said Pavel Čada, vice-chairman of EG.D’s board, in a press release.

Pavel Čada.

Of the newly connected photovoltaic systems, 94 percent have battery storage. Most of the connected solar power plants were connected at low voltage, meaning they were mainly smaller household installations. EG.D also received a high number of applications to connect renewable energy sources to the grid. The company’s staff received more than 31,000 applications last year, around 6,000 fewer than in 2022. Most applications again concerned smaller photovoltaic systems with a capacity of up to ten kilowatts. The company connected the new plants in its distribution area, covering South Moravia, South Bohemia, the Vysočina Region and parts of the Zlín and Olomouc regions.

The E.ON Group reported after-tax profit of CZK 6.26 billion in the Czech Republic in 2022, the company told the Czech News Agency (ČTK). The group did not disclose its revenue. EG.D reported after-tax profit of CZK 3.39 billion and revenue from the sale of products and services of CZK 19.7 billion in 2022. Electricity distribution amounted to 13.1 terawatt-hours (TWh). This is according to its annual report. E.ON Energie reported revenue of CZK 56.9 billion from the sale of products, services and goods in 2022, and after-tax profit of CZK 2.72 billion, according to its annual report.

The Czech energy group E.ON has more than 3,000 employees. It supplies electricity to 1.5 million customers, mainly in South Bohemia, the Vysočina Region and South Moravia, through its 66,000-kilometre distribution network. Its market share is around 21 percent. In gas distribution, it operates a network more than 4,000 kilometres long, supplying 114,000 delivery points, and holds around 10.5 percent of the Czech gas market. E.ON Energie supplies electricity and gas to more than 1.4 million customers, including households and businesses.