He said the new regulations should help investors, as they will now know what equipment to buy and install. “Of course, a lot more is needed in order to prepare a complete business case,” he added.
The new rules establish four project categories with capacities between 800 kW and 1 MW, between 1 MW and 5 MW, between 5 MW and 20 MW, and above 20 MW.
“A few years ago, when the second wave of renewables was only emerging, there were interpretations that any added storage capacity would have to be counted against the capacity permitted under the technical connection permit (ATR),” Vlasceanu explained. “It is now clear (from several provisions spread under the new legislation that storage installations can be added to a project having obtained already an ATR, or even a connection certificate, without amendment to the permitted capacity.”
For installations smaller than 800 kW, storage system owners will reportedly be granted unspecified exemptions. The new rules for storage follow a series of legislative changes aimed at expanding the share of renewables in the country's electricity mix. They include a reduction of value-added tax (VAT) on residential solar, faster permitting processes for PV plants on agricultural land, and new provisions to simplify the grid-connection process for renewable projects below 10.8 kW in size.
