Jerzy Kuźmiński, member of the Management Board of Respect Energy SolarWind, emphasizes that as a company they offer comprehensive cooperation to farmers, from substantive support, through an audit of the farm's capabilities in terms of renewable energy, to the subsequent management of installations. At the same time, it indicates that each installation has its advantages and disadvantages, and it depends on the cooperating company whether the farm's potential will be optimally used.
– It is our responsibility here, as a conscious partner, to show such an entrepreneur the best path and the best solution. What matters here is both the cost of the investment and then the cost of servicing this investment, and most importantly, what is the rate of return and when will the farmer actually start making money on it or will he save costs.
Investing in renewable energy sources is a serious decision and, in fact, an investment for years. It often means binding a contract with a given company for 20 or more years. How to look for a reliable partner? Jerzy Kuźmiński emphasizes that we should always try to analyze who we are talking to, what kind of company it is, whether it is an intermediary or a company offering comprehensive services.
What hinders the implementation of renewable energy investments in rural areas today?
– The biggest problem at the moment (problem – editor's note) is the administrative procedure. The entire cycle of this development, i.e. from the moment the investor decides to enter this business and the documents we need to prepare for him, is a period of at least one and a half years. We don't really know where we will be. We need it here and now, we have money, we want to spend it. However, throughout the entire cycle of these administrative decisions, we unfortunately postpone this investment. We know that the biggest problem at the moment is obtaining connection conditions. I think that if operators, who know that there are places that will never receive connection conditions because there is simply no physical capacity, why can't they issue such a decision 10-14 days after receiving such an application. They extend their available time to the maximum, even though they know that they will, for example, issue a negative decision. I think there's a lot of room for improvement here. Similarly, a lot could be improved when we apply for connection conditions for the so-called zero export, i.e. we know that we will not feed into the network. We will put up a power guard, so there won't really be any interference with the distribution network, so why don't we issue these conditions, again after 10-14 days. Let it happen, let these people have a chance to make a conscious investment here and now, at this moment – explains Jerzy Kuźmiński.