The Regulatory Office for Network Industries has estimated that consumers will support solar energy with nearly €117 million in the final prices they pay for electricity in 2011 though the analysis prepared by the regulatory office reported that the contribution by consumers last year was only around €10 million, the SITA newswire wrote.
The financial support for solar energy will account for about 50 percent of total sum that goes toward renewable energy sources and combined heat and electricity production this year in contrast to last year's 15 percent, writes the office. As a result of the mandatory purchase of so-called green electricity generated from renewable sources, consumers will help bolster the use of biomass with almost €28 million, hydroelectric power with €25 million and biogas with €22 million. The lowest sum will support wind generation, about €126,000, and geothermal energy, about €88,000. The support for combined production of electricity and heat should receive about €43 million, according to regulatory office.
The office estimates the overall costs for support of renewable energy sources and combined heat and electricity production this year to be almost €235 million which is a year-on-year increase of about 343 percent. These costs are part of the rate for the system operation included in the final price of electric energy, SITA wrote.
The regulator assumes that the costs of this rate will get close to €322 million in 2011. The rate also contains financial support for mining of local coal and costs of the organisers of the short-term electricity market. According to the regulator, the increase in electricity prices for households by an average of 4.82 percent effective as of January 1 is attributable to this rate, which constitutes about 5 percent of the overall electric energy price.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
