The Ministry of Energy wants to amend several laws related to energy production, energy consumption and energy efficiency. Draft regulations on significant changes They were posted on the site on Tuesday and Wednesday and anyone could comment on them Within a week.
The drafts will primarily amend the rules for installing and maintaining solar panels.
The Ministry can see everyone's energy production
According to the announcement, the number of home solar power plants in Hungary has doubled since 2022, with more than 283,000 of them now operating, most of them on the roofs of family homes or attached buildings. Given the increased capacities, the Ministry would like to access more data in the future, which it believes is necessary because more data would facilitate more efficient use of generated electricity, grid development and screening of irregular operators.
As a result, in the future, the Department of Energy will collect individual inverter data for home solar panels and monitor production through it.
Both users and distributors will be asked to cooperate in data collection. The ministry will collect data via remote reading, which requires almost no internet connection and is already available in more than two-thirds of operating systems. From January 1, 2025, remote reading capability will be mandatory for new solar installation applications. In the case of small power plants that are already operating or have already submitted applications, the obligation may enter into force after 6-8 months.
With this modification, all solar energy production becomes visible to grid operators, thus significantly increasing the level of operational security. This measure also increases green energy production and integrates it into a more efficient system, thus strengthening Hungary's energy sovereignty and domestic supply security.
– writes M.
It will be easier for urban residential communities to install solar power plants
Planned new provisions may make it easier for urban housing communities to install a solar system to partially cover their electricity consumption and reduce energy costs.
– reads the ad.
The Department of Energy will ease the status of residential units by supplementing the regulations on energy communities with a special provision for residential units. A key element of this is that condominium energy communities can also be formed with the participation of some property owners – with the prior approval of the condominiums – on the surface of typically shared ownership.
In one possible settlement model, a residential building could obtain a refund of system usage fees proportional to the volume of business, the extent of which could be determined by the Hungarian Energy and Public Utilities Regulatory Authority based on statutory authorization
– It is clear from the ministry’s announcement.
Infrastructure development
Among the Ministry's new drafts, there are also other amendments that could remove or mitigate obstacles that prevent and slow down the development of network infrastructure, so, for example, the provisions could clearly state that a pole transformer can be placed on the existing medium voltage free-wire network. Without a new wiring code procedure.
If the amendments are accepted, only small household power plants will be able to connect to the low-voltage distribution network for feeding purposes in the future. The product can be connected to the high and medium voltage network on the basis of a tender that is announced every two years at most. The Minister can determine the amount of free capacity that can be announced and the earliest connection date, broken down by region and technology, with the assistance of a committee composed of relevant government agencies.
– explains M.
In addition, as part of a package of legislative amendments, the Hungarian Energy and Public Utilities Regulatory Authority may be allowed to keep records of public electricity and other alternative fuel filling points. Reducing the use of fossil energy carriers is encouraged, among other things, by the rule aimed at regulating the miscibility of hydrogen with natural gas.
