The Czech Republic is showing growing interest in rooftop solar systems against the backdrop of rapidly rising energy prices. Due to higher energy costs and government grant programs, the current return on investment in these systems is about eight years or less for most households.

ČEZ, a major energy provider in the Czech Republic, announced that it installed 2.5 times as many photovoltaic panels last year as it did in 2020. Meanwhile, sales of batteries and heat pumps doubled over the same period.

According to the Czech Solar Energy Association, the main type of solar energy production currently in the Czech Republic is through small rooftop solar panels.

The association said the main increase in home PV installations occurred in the second half of last year, when energy prices started to rise.

Martin Sedlák, project director of the Modern Energy Union, a pro-green NGO, said: "The Czech Republic is most interested in purchasing solar panels and batteries to maximize the performance of photovoltaic systems. potential."

“The most typical system costs around CZK 500,000, but cheaper systems can also be found for around CZK 430,000. The Nová Zelená úsporám (government-funded scheme) accounts for about 50% of this investment. %.

“12 years ago, the return on PV combined with batteries was about 12 years. At current prices, the return on investment is closer to eight years, and may be shorter if electricity is used in large quantities. However, it depends on each household’s Personal consumption."

Another option is to buy a solar-assisted heat pump, which uses solar energy to heat water. This is the most cost-effective photovoltaic application, says Pavel Hrzina of the Czech Technical University's Department of Electronic Technology.

“You put your module on the roof and connect it directly to the boiler with a simple regulator. A system like this would only cost you a few hundred thousand kroner, which is not at all considering the cost of building materials today What. It supplies the household with hot water for about 10 months a year."

He further explained that solar panels have become cheaper to recycle in recent years, which also helps make photovoltaics more attractive. The panels are currently degrading at a rate of about 0.25% per year.

While recycling batteries is currently much more difficult, the scientist believes that this problem could also be solved in the next few years.

“Battery chemistry is more complex, and there are not many batteries that need to be recycled at the moment. We will have to wait until there are real batteries that need to be recycled. However, some companies are already asking how to do this.”

According to the energy study, solar energy has the potential to cover nearly 27% of the total energy consumption in the Czech Republic, with about half covered by rooftop solar panels and the other half by solar panels mounted on the exterior walls.

Solar energy accounted for around 2.8 percent of total energy production last year.