Poland: Residential Support Programme to finally start
Long-awaited, but finally happening: Poland’s launch of the subsidy scheme for residential home owners, and multi-family houses not connected to district heating systems. Run by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW), its start at the end of August 2010 ended a long period of transition: The last financial incentives for solar thermal installations had been paid out in 2009.
The new residential subsidy scheme consists of a combination of rebates and loans. Residential home owners can apply for a rebate of 45 % and a standard banking loan of 55 % of the investment costs for a solar thermal system, up to a maximum of PLN (Polish Zloty) 2,500 per m2 of collector area (approx. 628 EUR/m2). The programme is eligible for simple solar water heating systems only. Both rebate and loan do cover neither combi systems which additionally supply space heating, nor solar cooling installations. Funds will be distributed through the following six commercial banks:
• Bank Ochrony Środowiska S.A.
• Bank Polskiej Spółdzielczości S.A.
• Gospodarczy Bank Wielkopolski S.A.
• Krakowski Bank Spółdzielczy
• Mazowiecki Bank Regionalny S.A.
• Warszawski Bank Spółdzielczy
PLN 138 million (EUR 34.5 million) are allocated to the solar thermal incentive programme’s first period between 2010/2011. With a planned total budget of PLN 300 million (EUR 75 million), the programme is thought to run until 2014 (find further information in the table below).
The programme administrator, NFOŚiGW is the largest institution in Poland, responsible for implementing national environmental policy and financing environmental measures, such as clean air and climate protection projects. NFOŚiGW is also responsible for the nation-wide distribution of the EU Cohesion and Structural Funds devoted to environmental protection. Its role as the administrator of the new residential solar thermal incentive scheme was already defined in the Environmental Protection Law that came into effect on the first of January 2010.
The gap in support policy, and the difficult financial situation in 2009 resulted in a slowdown of the country’s formerly steep growth. Whereas in 2008, the total installed collector area almost doubled, the annual market survey of the Polish Institute for Renewable Energy (IEO) showed a market growth of only 9% last year, from 130,000 m2 (2008) to 144,000 m2 (2009). Flat plate collectors are still the dominating collector type on the Polish market. The share of vacuum tubes even decreased from 30 % in 2008 to 26 % in 2009.
Details on the rebate:
http://www.inwestujwkolektory.pl
New rebate scheme in Poland started at the end of August 2010
| Country | Poland |
| Name of programme | Subsidy programme for the purchase and installation of solar equipment |
| Type of incentive | Rebate and Loan |
| Eligible technologies | Solar water heaters only. Since January 2011 systems for space heating and hot water production are also eligible. |
| Applicable sectors | Residential and multi-family houses |
| Amount | Rebate up to 45 % of the investment costs |
| Maximum support | Rebate up to a maximum of 2,500 PLN/m2 (625 EUR/m2) |
| Loan | Loan of up to 55 % of the investment costs |
| Requirements for system | Solar collectors must have certificate PN-EN 12975-2 or Solar Keymark |
| Finance provider | Six commercial banks |
| Total funds | PLN 450 million between 2010 and 2014 |
| Funding source | Public money |
| Effective date | End of August 2010 |
| Expiration date | End of 2014 |
| Website | Details on the rebate: http://www.inwestujwkolektory.pl Details on the loan can be found on the websites of the six associated banks |
| Last review of this tabloid | November 2012 |
| Contact | NFOŚiGW – Department of Communication and Strategy http://www.nfosigw.gov.pl |
