Citizens of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) are very interested in the construction of solar panels, that is, in becoming prosumers, according to the research carried out by the Renewable Energy Sources and Efficient Cogeneration Operator (OIEiEK Operator).
In the survey, which was conducted from early September to late December 2023, as many as 97.3 percent of the surveyed citizens showed interest in the construction of the mentioned power plants.
The greatest interest was shown in the area of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (19.8 percent), followed by Sarajevo Canton with 19.6 percent and Zenica-Doboj Canton with 16.1 percent.
If citizens were provided with a one-time financial support/subsidy for a certain percentage amount of the value of the investment, even 99 percent of respondents would be determined to become prosumer. When it comes to the amount of support, on average 50 percent of the total value of the investment would be sufficient.
Citizens cited the lack of financial resources as the biggest obstacle, as well as unclear and complicated procedures for obtaining the required permits. Also, there is a long processing of applications submitted to relevant institutions. Furthermore, the survey showed that there is insufficient information about the procedures for investing in the construction of solar power plants, i.e. becoming a prosumer, that is, about the advantages that investing in the construction of these power plants would bring, according to the OIEiEK website.
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494 respondents participated in the research by filling out an electronic questionnaire on the OIEiEK Operator website. This research was conducted to collect data on the interest in investing in construction, that is, collecting data on the views of the citizens of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on one-time financial support for the construction of solar power plants, i.e. prosumers, because this is one of the new responsibilities of the OIEiEK Operator resulting from the new Law on the Use of Renewable Energy Sources and Efficient Cogeneration, precisely the implementation of this one-time co-financing.
The OIEiEK Operator will, with the prior consent of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, adopt the Programme on co-financing of individual prosumers, which will prescribe the procedure for one-time co-financing of the construction of prosumer facilities from this category. It will determine the method of awarding such assistance, the amount, criteria and other important provisions.
This research was significant because the results will be taken into account when determining the amount of one-time co-financing. Also, based on the answers that indicate a lack of information about the procedures and advantages of this kind of investment, the OIEiEK Operator envisages holding educational workshops and joint meetings with representatives of cantonal ministries, local communities and the media in its 2024 Work Plan, but the plan also envisages a public campaign to inform the public about the benefits of such investments. Finally, activities were initiated to make the procedures equal for all citizens but also simplified in terms of obtaining permits.
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