OPPORTUNITY STUDY ON INCREASING THE NUMBER OF PROSUMERS IN ROMANIA

Abstract

The subject of prosumers is a hot topic mainly because of the environmental benefits of renewable electricity generation. At European and national levels, the aim has been to increase the number of prosumers through policies that encourage the practice, but in addition to policies, there are a number of other factors that have a negative or positive influence on the development of the number of prosumers. A number of articles deal with factors such as average income, age, type of housing, and so on in EU countries such as Austria, Poland, UK, but the subject is insufficiently researched, especially in Romania. The research methodology consisted in collecting data available online on the websites of institutions accredited to collect data on the evolution of prosumers and observe the most prosumers and the availability of the national grid in Romanian counties. Subsequently, data on climate, economic, technical and social conditions were collected and studied to see if they influenced the increase in the number of prosumers. The research results highlighted that the analysed factors have an impact on increasing the number of prosumers. In areas where incomes, living standards and climatic factors were above average, technical factors did not discourage the increase in the number of prosumers, but in those with economic and social conditions below the national average and with the electricity grid already loaded, even if the photovoltaic potential is very high, the growth rate is very low. The main results pursued in this paper are the observation of national conditions that influence the increase in the number of prosumers in Romania in order to be able to develop strategies, establish and adopt policies or measures in the future to support prosumers in disadvantaged areas or in energy poverty, and also to reduce the negative impact of the environment.