Subsidy (National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management - Prosumer)

Updated: 09.01.2019

Author: Krzysztof Ignaciuk

The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW) grants low interests loans together with subsidies to support the purchase and installation of small and micro-RES installations for the needs of residential single-family or multi-family houses (7.5 Prosumer). There are two different schemes – one designed for local government units or their compounds and governed by the NFOŚiGW, and the other one addressing private persons, homeowner associations and housing cooperative, managed by the Bank for Environmental Protection. 

The duration of the scheme was planned for 2015-2019 (4Prosumer). The programme accepted applications until 30 June 2018. Awarded subsidies will be administered till 2019.

Eligible technologies

Small and micro-installations using biomass, biogas, wind and solar energy intended for residential buildings located within the beneficiary local government unit are eligible (7.5.2  Prosumer).

Wind energy

Small wind energy installations with a capacity of up to 40 kWe are eligible (7.5.1e  Prosumer).

Solar energy

PV installations with a capacity of up to 40 kWp are eligible (7.5.1d  Prosumer).

Biogas

Micro co-generation installations fired with biogas with a capacity of up to 40 kWe are eligible (7.5.2f in conjunction with Annex 3 II 6 Prosumer).

Biomass

Micro cogeneration installations fired with biomass with a capacity of up to 40 kWe are eligible. The biomass has to come from forestry or be of agricultural origin, come from own resources of the applicant or be a bioliquid (7.5.2f in conjunction with Annex II 6  Prosumer).

Amount

The budget of the programme for the timeframe 2015-2019 is: 
  • for subsidies: PLN 144.088 million (€ 33.53 m)
  • for loans: PLN 194.312,2 million (€ 45,21 m)
(3  Prosumer)
Taken together, the amount of a loan and the subsidy granted may cover up to 100% of the eligible costs and must be more than PLN 200,000 (€ 45,564) for municipalities and between 5,000 and 40,000 PLN (€ 1,164 – 9,312) for individuals and housing cooperatives ((7.2.1 and 7.3.1 Prosumer).
The interest rate of the loan is 1%. The maximum duration of loan support is 15 years. The investment must be finalised within 24 months from the first loan payment (NFOŚiGW governed) or 18 months from the date of the loan agreement (bank governed) (7.3.3, 7.3.5, 7.3.6 and 7.3.8 Prosumer).
The subsidy shall cover up to 30% of investments costs. However, in the years 2015-2016 up to 40% (7.2.1b  Prosumer).
Maximum eligible investment costs for residential buildings in case of installations using only one energy source:
  • PLN 100,000 (€ 23,283) for private persons, except for biogas micro co-generation installations
  • PLN 300,000 (€ 69,844) for homeowner associations or housing cooperatives
  • PLN 500,000 (€ 116,417) in case of biogas micro co-generation installations
Maximum eligible investment costs for residential buildings in case of installations using at least two energy source:
  • PLN 150,000 (€ 34,923) for private persons, except for biogas micro co-generation installations
  • PLN 450,000 (€ 104,775) for homeowner associations or housing cooperatives
  • PLN 500,000 (€ 116,417) in case of biogas micro co-generation installations
(7.2.4 and 7.2.5  Prosumer).

Addressees

For the support governed by the Fund: local government units or their compounds (7.4  Prosumer).

For the support governed by the bank cooperating with the Fund: natural persons having the right to possess a single-family residential building, existing or under construction; and homeowner association or housing cooperative managing multi-family residential buildings (7.4 Prosumer 4b).

Procedure

Process flow

The investor submits an application for a loan and for a subsidy to the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management or to the bank, cooperating with the Fond.

Applications for funding in the form of loans and grants will be considered on a continuous basis. 

A compulsory part of the installation is a meter to enable the collection and presentation of data on the amount of electricity generated in the installation and the connection of the communication module for data transmission (Annex I  Prosumer).

Competent authority

National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management

Distribution of costs

Consumers

The costs of the subsidy scheme are borne by the final consumers of electricity.

Distribution mechanism

The means provided by the National Fund to promote renewable energy are made up of compensation and penalty fees paid by electricity producers and suppliers that have failed to meet their quota obligations. The costs of these fees are passed on to the end -users (Art. 401 par. 7 No. 4 in conjunction with Art. 401c par. 5 Environmental Protection Act).

Poland

Further information

Basic information on legal sources