Six months of electricity sharing in Czechia: developments, statistics and future directions

Electricity sharing among households, businesses and municipalities in Czechia got off to a surprisingly rapid start after the central EDC system was launched in August 2024. In six months, nearly 23,000 participants joined the scheme, sharing more than 10 GWh of electricity. Although small groups account for the majority, interest is also growing among municipalities and apartment buildings. Major suppliers such as E.ON are responding as well. What has the first six months of operation shown, and where is the community energy model in Czechia heading next?

Until recently, electricity generated by one entity (for example, a household with a photovoltaic plant) could not be easily shared with another consumer unless it was at the same supply point or within the same site. Historically, electricity could only be used jointly by consumers connected behind the same supply point – typically within a single building or site with a shared connection. In other words, without the relevant legislation, sharing was limited to cases where the electricity producer and consumer were technically connected “behind a single meter”.

Since August 2024, however, a central system for electricity sharing across the distribution grid has been operating in the Czech Republic. It allows households, municipalities and businesses to share surplus electricity generated with other supply points – in real time and within predefined groups. In practice, this means that surplus electricity generated at a cottage, for example, can be used in a city apartment or shared with neighbours who join the system.

While at the beginning of 2023 it was still only possible to share electricity within a single apartment building, it is now a rapidly growing segment of the energy market, recording tens of thousands of connected supply points and more than 10 GWh of shared electricity during its first six months of operation. Despite the initial caution of some electricity traders, major suppliers are not resisting the trend either. The first months of sharing can therefore be considered technically well managed and successful from users’ perspective, albeit with certain reservations regarding its long-term systemic role.

What enabled sharing and how the system developed

The first step towards electricity sharing was taken by the Energy Regulatory Office at the beginning of 2023, when it amended Decree No. 408/2015 Sb. This enabled electricity sharing within apartment buildings, i.e. between units connected behind a single main circuit breaker. This model, dubbed “internal sharing”, had a limited impact – by the end of 2023, distributors reported that only 42 such projects were in operation, mostly in the ČEZ Distribuce service area.

A fundamental change was brought by the amendment to the Energy Act known as Lex RES II, approved during 2023. It introduced a legal framework for electricity sharing between different supply points via the distribution grid and set conditions for establishing so-called sharing groups. The amendment also assigned the role of system coordinator to the newly established Electricity Data Centre (EDC), which became fully operational on 1 August 2024.

EDC is a regulated joint-stock company owned by distribution system operators and the transmission system operator. The state has a supervisory role through two representatives on its supervisory board. EDC registers sharing groups, manages allocation keys and exchanges data between electricity market participants, namely generators, consumers, traders and distributors. Every group member must have a smart meter installed with interval metering at 15-minute intervals – this is the basic technical requirement, as sharing works only in real time. Electricity therefore cannot be shared retrospectively or stored within the sharing arrangement.

The sharing model is technically based on virtual settlement: generated electricity is credited to group members according to a predefined key. Everything operates through metering data and an information system – electricity physically flows through the grid as usual.

Statistics from the first six months and the stance of major suppliers

Interest in electricity sharing was high immediately after the system was launched. During the first three months, from August to October 2024, more than 4,300 sharing groups involving nearly 12,000 participants were registered in the system. Over these first two months, they shared a total of 322 MWh of electricity.

By the end of November 2024, the number of groups had risen to 5,314, with more than 13,000 registered participants and shared electricity volume reaching 750 MWh. The system saw its strongest momentum in spring 2025, when the monthly sharing volume reached 4.68 GWh in April alone.

Electricity-sharing statistics (as of 30 April 2025)

The overwhelming majority are small groups operating under the active customer regime, often consisting of one generator sharing electricity with its other supply points or with close associates. Apartment buildings account for around 5%, while energy communities – larger community entities – account for only fractions of a percent so far. This is due both to legislative restrictions (a maximum of 1,000 members and operation across no more than three municipalities with extended powers) and more demanding administration.

Traders’ attitudes towards the new model varied. While some smaller suppliers initially considered penalising consumers for sharing electricity, most larger players adopted a conciliatory or supportive stance.

At the beginning of 2025, ČEZ Prodej publicly declared that it would not impose a contractual penalty on customers for joining sharing arrangements, even if they had a contract for purchasing grid exports. In practice, this means that a sharing customer does not have to deal with terminating or breaching their contract. ČEZ also announced that it was preparing to amend its terms and conditions for the next period to reflect electricity sharing directly in its price tariffs.

E.ON Energie and PRE provide methodological assistance to those interested in sharing, particularly apartment buildings and municipalities. They actively participate in pilot projects and publish guides and simplified procedures for customers. Distribution companies handled the technical provision of metering (meter replacements and data transmission) without major complications – according to EDC, the average time from registration to activation of sharing is approximately 2–3 weeks.

Outlook: Community growth, storage and a changing customer role

From a legislative perspective, sharing is currently operating under a transitional regime. Restrictions on the number of members and the regional scope of energy communities will be lifted on 1 July 2026. Until then, further implementing regulations are expected to be amended (for example, the decree on electricity market rules), enabling the introduction of dynamic allocation keys – allowing electricity to be distributed more flexibly according to the group members’ current consumption.

The so-called Lex RES III is also being prepared, with the aim of providing legislative support for the integration of battery systems and flexibility aggregation. The goal is to enable energy communities not only to share generated electricity, but also to participate actively in the balancing energy market and provide balancing services.

Municipalities also have significant potential. Some, such as Brumovice in the Břeclav region, have already established an energy community bringing together households, municipal buildings and businesses. Other cities, such as Jablonec nad Nisou, are planning to share electricity from municipal solar power plants with residents through a municipal energy company.