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Green energy is the future of the Hungarian economy, and therefore several measures and support options will promote the increased use of clean energy sources in Hungary in 2024, the Ministry of Energy said in a statement.
Huge solar capacity has been developed in Hungary in the recent period, according to the statement. The annual solar expansion exceeded 1 gigawatt for the first time last year. This year, the record-breaking 2022 growth has been surpassed by more than one and a half times. Industrial and residential installations share roughly two-thirds to one-third of the capacity, which has already grown to nearly 5,600 megawatts. More than a quarter of a million of these smaller systems, mostly operated by families, are now in operation in Hungary.
A call for applications encourages domestic companies to set up and operate energy storage facilities for at least ten years. Successful applicants in the call, which will be launched in mid-January, will be eligible for non-repayable investment grants and income compensation. With the allocation of the HUF 62 billion (EUR 162 million),
the current industrial energy storage capacity of just 20 megawatts could increase twenty-fold by spring 2026.
The expansion could also be boosted by tariff rebates combined with tender support. Operators will be exempted from paying the transmission part of the system charges until 2026, saving nearly 10 forints per kilowatt hour. Connection fees will also be halved for industrial investors who apply to connect their new storage facilities in the second publication procedure launched at the end of November, 2023.
The government has greatly eased the legal conditions for the installation of wind turbines in order to increase the use of green energy,
the Ministry of Energy noted. From 2024, the required safety distance will be reduced to 700 meters, in line with European practice, and the requirement to tender will be abolished. The restrictions on the number of official licenses that can be issued for wind farms and the total power that can be authorized will no longer apply. The provisions also provide strong safeguards for the protection of the municipality, the environment, farmland, and the landscape. The National Energy and Climate Plan under review foresees a tripling of the current wind capacity of 330 MW by 2030.
Hungary has been among the top five countries in Europe in the use of geothermal energy for heating for many years. This spring, the largest geothermal heating system in the European Union was inaugurated in Szeged (southern Hungary), but Győr (western Hungary), Miskolc (eastern Hungary), and Szentes (south-eastern Hungary) also have outstanding capacities. Thanks to the favorable domestic conditions, geothermal heat can replace up to 1-1.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
The Ministry of Energy is preparing a geothermal energy strategy, which will include concrete support ideas as well as exploring further exploitation possibilities.
The government is working to make Hungary a forerunner in the production and storage of green energy, both in homes and on industrial sites. The Ministry of Energy is continuously looking for new opportunities to promote the widespread deployment of carbon-free, modern solutions, the statement concluded.
Via MTI, Featured image: Pixabay
