2023-09-13 05:08:58
September 12, 2023 Today at 4:57 p.m.
Faced with the problem of dropouts of photovoltaic panel inverters in Wallonia, the regulator is proposing to compensate prosumers up to 55 euros per year for an average installation.
The problem of disconnections of photovoltaic panel inverterswhich fueled the anger of Walloon prosumers unable to take full advantage of their installations, was this Tuesday at the center of a consultation bringing together, among others, GRD (distribution network managers), Cwape (the regulator), suppliers and consumer associations with a view to reaching a lasting solution and, in the meantime, to a decision regarding compensation for injured owners.
As a reminder, the Minister of Energy, Philippe Henry (Ecolo), had instructed Cwape to draw up a preliminary draft proposal for a decree organizing compensation for prosumers last Junein order to stop the bleeding before the distribution network can be adapted to the photovoltaic boom.
“In view of the money lost by those who can no longer inject their electricity into the network or, worse, who have to buy it again, they are peanuts”
Régis François
President of BeProsumer
Now communicated to stakeholders, the document that L’Echo was able to consult offers a annual lump sum compensation by the GRD to owners “experiencing an injection limitation of their installation caused by local congestion on the low voltage network circuit”. According to the formula developed by Cwape, this would amount, for an average installation, to around 55 euros (12.31 euros per kWe according to figures for the first half of 2023). “
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“Peanuts”
For BeProsumer, the association for the defense of photovoltaic panel owners, this is too little. “In view of the money lost by those who can no longer inject their electricity into the network or, worse, who have to buy it again, they are peanuts,” comments Régis François, president. “The compensation offered corresponds to 5 days of dropout. However, some inverters fail up to 150 times per year“, he assures.
“This is a fixed price independent of the real loss linked to the inverter disconnection. 10% of non-operation can lead, for example, to a loss of 40 euros and not 12.31 euros per kWe”, regrets for its part Testachats, which pleads for the compensation to be increased if the GRD fails to resolve the problem within a year.
The problem is also that the regulator lacks data to solve the problem. There is in fact no up-to-date register of photovoltaic installations in Wallonia. and, to analyze the situation, the actors must simply count the complaints, in addition to drawing inspiration from the Flemish model.
Still welcoming the efforts of Cwape and the minister, Régis François recalls that the priority must be updating the network. As a reminder, Ores recently presented a 4 billion euro investment plan (i.e. 1 billion more than expected) over the next 10 years in order to modernize its network. Resa, its Liège counterpart, estimates that 3 billion will be needed by 2050.
“We are awaiting feedback from stakeholders, which could lead to amendments to the proposal.”
Stéphane Renier
President of Cwape
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Intermediate stage
If this proposal has already caused consumer associations to react, the other stakeholders want to be more discreet. “We are waiting for the proposal from Cwape in around ten days“, replied Minister Henry’s office, refusing to comment on the figures. Same story with the DNOs.
For his part, the president of Cwape, Stéphane Renier, confirmed that the proposal would be communicated officially to the government “in the coming days”, but did not wish to elaborate further. “It’s too early to communicate. We are awaiting the reaction of stakeholders, which could lead to amendments to the proposal,” he reacted, assuring that the first feedback was “positive”.
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