Chamber: Renewable energy development in Czechia is still driven only by solar PV, while other sources lag behind

Renewable energy development in Czechia is being driven only by solar PV, while other sources continue to lag behind. Government policies are also contributing to this. Representatives of the Chamber of Renewable Energy Sources (Chamber of RES) said this at a press conference today. They said the government is relying too heavily on gas in the future, among other things, at the expense of renewable sources. One small positive is the gradual development of wind power, although it is still progressing very slowly, they noted.

„The energy crisis in 2022 focused our attention on renewable sources and support for their faster development. Looking back two or three years later, however, it is clear that only solar PV has taken off. Wind turbines may be at the start of a new take-off, but the rest of the renewable energy sector is still waiting for its opportunity,“ said Štěpán Chalupa, chairman of the Chamber of RES.

More than 45,000 solar power plants with a capacity of 983 megawatts were connected to the Czech grid last year. There are now more than 213,000 in the system overall, a quarter more than a year earlier and four times as many as three years ago.

The chamber's representatives also gave a slightly positive assessment of wind power development. Five wind turbines in Jívová in the Olomouc region and two wind farms in the Bruntál region were connected to the grid last year. A new wind farm was also built in the Karlovy Vary region, and at least two more are expected to be built this year. Compared with neighbouring Poland, Austria and Germany, however, this is still only a fraction, the chamber noted.

By contrast, the chamber's representatives see the government's actions in transforming the Czech district heating sector as a major failure. They say the vast majority of funding is going to fossil gas and waste incineration. They also criticised the fact that subsidies are intended primarily for existing district heating operators, rather than potential new entrants.

They say this trend is also evident in other renewable sources. The chamber described the situation in the biogas and biomethane plant sector as alarming. Only one new biomethane plant was built last year, while three were renovated. No biogas plant was built.

„The sector has still not managed to get development off the ground. The change to the biomethane support scheme, which ended the green bonus and introduced auctions, has not helped, nor have unsuitable modernisation conditions or the still non-functioning support for small biogas plants,“ said Adam Moravec of the Czech Biomass Association (CZ Biom).

Gas support has also affected the development of heat pumps. According to the chamber, demand for them has returned to pre-crisis levels because gas prices are lower in Europe, partly thanks to government subsidies. „Despite all the government's efforts through programmes such as New Green Savings and Renovate Your Grandmother's House, we are near the bottom of Europe in the number of newly installed units," said Jan Potucký, director of the Heat Pump Manufacturers Association.

The outlook is uncertain, including for households, the chamber said. Chalupa pointed, for example, to delays in preparing the law to accelerate renewable energy development. He also objected to some other government actions, such as attempts to postpone the new emissions allowance system and unpredictable subsidy conditions.

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