Under the Net Billing (Real-Time Netting) framework, consumers—including households, workshops, retail stores, industries, and farmers—can utilize a photovoltaic system to generate the energy they consume on-site. By directly utilizing solar power, they eliminate grid reliance and avoid transmission network charges for that self-consumed electricity.
A small-scale system of 5–6 kW is sufficient to cover the energy needs of an average household, offering a payback period of just 5 years followed by 15 years of free electricity. Consequently, such a system can yield savings of up to four times its initial investment cost over its lifespan.
Furthermore, system owners can sell any surplus, unused kilowatt-hours (kWh) back to DAPEEP (the Renewable Energy Sources Operator) at the prevailing wholesale market price during injection hours. Notably, this generation revenue is completely tax-exempt.
Residential – The program covers 2 categories:
A. Net Billing
B. Virtual Net Billing
A. Net Billing
The Net Billing solar PV system operates on a real-time energy netting framework. Residential consumers are eligible to install photovoltaic stations with a maximum capacity of up to 10.8 kW.
Property owners also have the option to integrate an advanced battery storage system (Lithium-ion). This integration significantly increases real-time self-consumption, thereby minimizing energy exchange with the grid. Additionally, the battery system can function as a Backup Power Supply (UPS) to sustain critical household loads during power outages.
B. Virtual Net Billing
"Virtual Net Billing (Virtual Real-Time Netting) is an advanced form of energy self-generation. It allows consumers to bypass space limitations at their primary property, as the solar PV system can be installed at any location nationwide. The generated energy is then virtually offset against the property's consumption, while any surplus electricity is sold back to the grid at predetermined feed-in tariffs.
Net Billing for Businesses
Law 5106/2024 (Government Gazette 63A, 1.5.2024) introduced significant changes regarding self-consumption. Specifically, it repealed the institutional framework of net metering, promoting net billing (real-time netting) as the primary mechanism for self-consumption. Net metering applications are now restricted exclusively to professional farmers installing systems up to 30 kWp.
Under the net billing framework, the netting of generated and consumed energy occurs in real time. Any surplus energy is injected into the grid and compensated for a twenty-year period based on the wholesale market price during the hours of injection.
A business can also utilize virtual net billing, either independently or by participating in an Energy Community. In the case of virtual net billing, the generation facilities can be installed in any Region, regardless of the physical location of the consumption facilities
Given that the greatest challenge facing RES investments today is securing grid capacity for interconnection, current legislation permits connection with zero grid injection. This allows the business itself to self-consume the entirety of the generated energy.
