FACILITATIONS: Energy Account

Incentive Rate

All photovoltaic systems from 1 kWp benefit of the Energy Account, that is a contribution disbursed according to how many kWh the system actually produces. For this reason it is not much important the cost of the kWp system  installed, but how much it costs related to the kWh produced in a year. For this the choice of a photovoltaic system is as important as a perfect execution of the electrical plant and a correct analysis of modules's orientation.  Depending on the plant's nominal power and on its architectural integration level, the Electrical Services Administrator (GSE) recognizes to the producer different incentive rates for 20 years: Energy Account (DM 19 February 2007).

 A first electricity meter, going out from the plant, gauges the photovoltaic electricity produced. A second meter gauges the balance between the given energy and the one drawn from the public line. The minimum power for the incentivable plant is equal to  1 kWp and there is no maximum limit. Solitary plants are not incentivated.

For the plants that will start working from January 1st 2009 to December 2010 the values of the table will be reduced of 2% for each year after 2008, remaining constant for the 20 years of the incentive's disbursment. For the plants that will start working from 2011 the rates will be decided by special Ministerial Decrees.

The incentive rates and possible bonuses are not combinable with:

 •  public incentives over 20% of the investment costs

 •  green certificates

•  documents of energetic efficiency

These are combinable for public schools and for public medical structures.

Increaseof rates

+ 5%: Energy Account's Incentive rate increases for:

• Systems for public schools or medical structures
• Integrated systems replacing roofing containing amianthus
• Systems whose responsibles are local boards with a population lower than 5000 people
• Not integrated systems, with power higher than 3kWp, with a contract of Cession on the network (no exchange onthe spot) where the owner uses for himself at least the 70% of the energy produced by the system.

+ 30%: if the Fhotovoltaic system works with a contract Exchange on the spot and if it is coupled to an improvement of the building's Energetic Efficiency (against a related energetic certification), Energy Account's Incentive rate increases the half of the improvement percentage gained, with a maximum limit of 30%.

Types of contracts

About systems with a nominal power lower than 20kWp it is possible to choose between these two types of contracts:

Exchange on the Spot

It is the most favourable when the subject uses more than half of the energy produced. It is measured both energy taken from the network and the energy given in the opposite way (energy in overproduction by the Photovoltaic system and not used).

The balance between these defines the energetic bill:

• If it has been used more energy than produced, you will pay only the kWp of difference
• If the balance of the two counters is in parity you will pay nothing
• If the given energy is higher than the used one you will pay nothing, the surplus is yet not remunerated and it may be used in the following three years.

Benefits

• Incentives are calculated on the entire photovoltaic production
• There is a saving on the bill for the amount of produced and selfused energy

Cession on the network

It is favourable when the system's production is sensitively higher of the probable use. It allows the use of the energy produced by the photovoltaic system only while it is produced. There is no kind of compensation. Saving is in the direct use of energy, drawing it from the system, thus zeroing the draw of energy from the public network. The possible surplus of produced energy can be sold at the price decided by Acquirente Unico (http://www.acquirenteunico.it/). 

Benefits

• Incentives are calculated on the basis of the whole photovoltaic production
• Saving in the bill about the amount of produced and self-used energy
• Proceeds from selling the surplus energy

To learn more visit the GSE homepage