The first collective purchase campaign in the CLEAR-X project focused on solar energy has just begun, with Slovakian consumer association SOS aiming to get solar PV panels into the hands of 250 families across Slovakia.
Launched on Monday 17 October, the campaign encourages consumers to make the switch to renewable energy by offering installation of the panels along with the purchase, as well as a discount of up to 25%.
“Research for the CLEAR-X project showed that two of the most significant barriers to the energy transition are the high upfront cost and not knowing how to go through the advice, purchase and installation process,” commented Petra Cakovska of SOS. “With this campaign, we aim to simplify the process for consumers, as well as giving them a very competitive price on high-quality, lab-tested panels.”
With winter weather usually delaying the installation of PV panels in Slovakia, installations aim to start in early 2023 and run through the summer. While there is enthusiasm in the market for renewable energy technologies, installation of solar panels in Slovakia is also being impeded by supply chain issues, a lack of trained installers and an electricity grid in need of significant upgrades to deal with the ever-rising number of new grid connections, needed to allow prosumers to send energy back to the grid.
With rising energy prices, demand for PV panels has reached an all-time high in Slovakia, and is expected to continue climbing. Under energy prices at the start of the campaign, SOS estimated that a typical family could save €150-€250 per year, which would rise to €400 for those heating water with an electric boiler. For now, the campaign offer is only available to owners of single-family homes, given the lack of rights to renewable energy for renters and the complications around installing renewables in multi-unit apartments; both of which have been flagged in the CLEAR-X project’s consumer barriers to the energy transition.
Interested consumers based in Slovakia are invited to sign up at www.spolocnenakupy.sk