Renewable energy in Moldova: Sergiu Postică's vision for the future
In the absence of deliveries from Cuciurgan, renewable energy is gaining significant ground. Sergiu Postică is one of the entrepreneurs who has installed a photovoltaic park with a production capacity of over 2 megawatts.
Initially, he installed panels to reduce energy costs at the banquet hall he owns. Later, he decided to expand the energy production capacity.
"It's a medium-sized park, with a production capacity of over 2 megawatts. I chose this type of business because I’ve been interested in it for a long time. Initially, I installed photovoltaic panels and heat pumps for my business. At the moment, we are generating very little—7 kilowatts—because it’s cloudy outside. However, we are on the net metering system, which allows us to draw from the grid in winter the energy we generated in the summer," says Sergiu Postică.
Until recently, he had been exporting energy to Croatia. Now, under the state of emergency, the energy produced ensures domestic consumption.
"At the moment, we are being offered 1.50 lei per kilowatt because Moldova found the lowest price in Romania at 1.50 lei. When energy came from MGRES, we were receiving 1.15 lei, which is when we decided to start exporting. From this park in Anenii Noi, we were exporting to Croatia. Now, in exceptional circumstances, the government has told us that they can offer us only that amount—it’s small, but we must be united and help with whatever we can," mentioned Sergiu Postică.
The entrepreneur says that depending on the weather, the amount of energy produced varies. Here, legal regulations come into play, according to which sanctions are applied if the forecasted volume of energy does not reach the grid.
"Let’s suppose that right now I am supplying 200 kilowatts, but I have 250 kilowatts. I would unbalance the grid by providing more. The operator will penalize us. If I’ve forecasted 200, but it’s more, I receive half the price for the additional 50 kilowatts. However, if I provide less energy to the grid, I will be charged double for the amount I failed to supply," says the entrepreneur.
Sergiu Postică believes that our country should entirely phase out the electricity produced by the Cuciurgan Power Plant and instead import from the Romanian market, with the remaining energy for domestic consumption being supplied by renewable energy sources.
According to figures from the Ministry of Energy, in recent days, 20 percent of total electricity consumption has been supplied by locally produced renewable sources. By the end of 2024, the installed capacities of renewable energy plants, including solar, wind, hydro, and biogas, reached over 16 percent of total electricity consumption. The target is to raise this share to 30 percent.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
