Biznes Fakty
Energy Storage and Photovoltaics: Industry Alarm, Deputy Climate Minister Comments
Deputy Climate Minister Miłosz Motyka revealed that modifications to the proposed fire safety standards for home energy storage systems could be on the table. The renewable energy sector had previously raised concerns regarding the stipulations suggested by the Ministry of Development and Technology.
The Ministry of Development and Technology has put forth additional stipulations for storage facilities with a capacity of up to 10 kWh.
„We are engaging in discussions with the ministry to elevate this threshold. We are confident it will be much higher,” Motyka stated on Tuesday during a meeting of the parliamentary committees on climate, energy and assets, and deregulation.
New requirements for energy storage
As per the draft regulation from the Minister of Development and Technology on the technical conditions required for buildings and their placement, submitted for consultation, the section concerning fire safety regulations outlines proposed stipulations for the installation of residential electricity storage units.
The proposal indicates that within a residential structure, a storage unit with a capacity of up to 10 kWh – typically preferred in single-family homes – can only be installed in a space not designated for human habitation, and the room housing the batteries must have at least one standalone smoke detector.
Storage units of a larger size would only be permissible in non-residential facilities. For higher capacities, the Ministry of Energy and Technology suggests that they be located in technical buildings not solely meant for electricity storage, within a room that has walls of an appropriate fire resistance rating. The larger the storage capacity, the greater the resistance class and additional criteria for the storage area located in a distinct non-residential building.
Renewable energy industry protests
The renewable energy and energy storage sectors have already objected to these requirements. For instance, the Photovoltaic and Energy Storage Industry Association argues that if the regulations were enacted in their current form, energy storage would become entirely unfeasible for prosumers and small enterprises.
The organization projects that the expense of installing storage systems would rise by 30–60 percent, barring the option of installation in apartments and single-family homes.
„If the draft regulations of the WT (technical conditions – ed.) 2025 obstructing home energy storage are erroneous, they need to be amended immediately. If they are not a mistake, we face a significant threat to the energy transition,” commented Paweł Lachman, president of the Polish Organization for the Development of Heat Pump Technology (PORT PC) on social media.
My Electricity 6.0 and „special emphasis” on energy storage
The government’s My Electricity 6.0 initiative allows prosumers to receive up to PLN 28,000 in funding from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW) for a photovoltaic micro-installation, electricity storage, and heat storage.
„In this sixth edition, particular emphasis is placed on energy storage facilities, which facilitate enhanced energy usage at the point of generation, thereby assisting in alleviating the strain on the power grid,” the government website noted.
