In 2022, György Balogh approached Gazdag Gábor, Head of Business Development at GÁTIBA Solar, to install solar panels on his new home. György wanted to “go greener” but was also incentivised to install solar panels with a government grant.
The solar system consists of 14 panels, produces 5900 kWh per year, and has been running for over 6 months. Soon, György will be moving and because of how successful his first solar system has been, he plans to install solar panels in his new home as well.
The installation cost was €6000 and in the short time that the panels were installed, György saved €800. He fully believes that the investment was worthwhile, both for economic and environmental reasons, highlighting the importance of looking for “greener opportunities.”
György emphasises that the administrative process is simple. Alongside some paperwork, the installation itself only took less than 1 day, with the system up and running the following day.
In Hungary, György is not prioritising the acceleration of renewable energy sources like solar because of Russian influence, and a focus being placed on nuclear power. In October 2022, the Hungarian government announced its plans to suspend new connections to the grid. This means that households can only use the energy they generate for their own household, and cannot acquire any additional income from feeding back to the grid. Removing this opportunity makes the initial solar investment more difficult.
When it comes to private properties, I understand there is an issue with demand on the grid. That is the official reason behind the government’s ban. However, it is not 100% true. I’ve heard it in other countries as well; the grid is not capable of handling all of those small units. The grid should be able to handle all private households with their solar panels. It shouldn’t be an excuse for not supporting the private property owners.
