APCE requests changes to Romania's battery storage funding guidelines

The Association of Prosumers and Energy Communities (APCE) is calling for modifications to the Environmental Fund Administration (AFM) guidelines regarding a new funding program for energy storage batteries. The association argues that the current draft contains seven critical issues that could lead to discrimination, poorly dimensioned investments, and the use of public funds for low-performance equipment.

Key concerns raised by APCE include a scoring system that favors large photovoltaic installations while excluding those who have already invested in batteries. Additionally, the association noted a lack of required ratios between solar panels and batteries, and pointed out that households producing their own energy but not connected to the grid are excluded because they lack prosumer status and connection certificates.

The proposed program aims to fund up to 75% of project values, capped at 15,000 lei, involving approximately 400 million lei in public funds.