Section outline

  • If funding sources cover the CAPEX, it is public incentives that make the OPEX sustainable and ensure the project's profitability. These mechanisms are the catalysts that the European Union and individual states have put in place to accelerate the spread of RECs.

    ·         Feed-in Premium on Shared Energy: This is the core of an REC's economic sustainability in many countries, like Italy. It is a premium on sharing, not production. A financial premium is paid for every kWh of energy produced by the community's systems and simultaneously consumed by another member. This incentivizes the community to maximize its collective self-consumption by aligning production and consumption profiles.

    ·         Grants on Capital (Non-Repayable Contributions): This is direct funding that drastically reduces the initial investment. At the national level, grants can come from funds like the Italian PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan). At the European level, funding is available from Structural and Cohesion Funds or programs like Horizon Europe and LIFE. For example, Italy's PNRR has allocated grants covering up to 40% of system costs for RECs in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants. These grants have a game-changing effect: they lower the barrier to entry and significantly shorten payback periods, improving project accessibility.