CONCLUSIONS

Country: Bulgaria

•  In Bulgaria "the Renewable Energy Sources and Biofuels Law" was passed on 7 th June 2007.In this Law the main directions for the government's support for the generation of energy from RES are outlined. The corresponding rules and regulations for the enforcement of the Law are still to be published. One of the main conclusions is:

The lack of detailed rules for the connection of small plants using RES to the distribution grid in order to account for the specifics, imposed by the different technologies.

•  Another important point is the decentralization and the different locations of RES plants. Besides, it has to be mentioned that:

•  The inconsistent generation of energy, due to the dependence on meteorological conditions;

•  Non-regulated generation;

•  Reversed power flows in the power system.

•  The connection contracts should include conditions for the technical characteristics of the energy system and the working conditions of RES plants.

•  Voltage variation;

•  Frequency variation;

•  Overrating voltage;

•  Connection and Disconnection;

•  Harmonics.

•  The connection requires the construction of the necessary link from the plant to the point of connection to the distribution grid. The distribution grid should have the required characteristics beyond the point of connection. For the construction of this link certain investments are required. Here it has to be mentioned that that the following is required:

•  Rules for correct calculating of the connection expenses;

•  Fair distribution of the connection expenses.

•  With mass introduction of small generators, the electrical energy grid, demands for large investments for:

•  New lines or strengthening of the existing ones;

•  Reserve powers;

•  Frequency and voltage regulation;

•  Relay for protection and automatics.

•  From 01.07.2007 The Bulgarian electrical energy market is fully open. This will inevitably affect upon the small producers with more expensive energy.

•  At the present moment the procedure for the connection of small RES Plants to the distribution grid is:

•  The energy producer gives a written request for connection to the distribution grid to the respective distribution company. Producers with power up to 5-6 MW are connected to the distribution grid at 20 kV;

•  After the distribution company examines each request individually, it determined the requirements for the connection;

•  The requirements for the connection are determined by Regulation ? 6 from 09.06.2004 "Connection of producers and users of electrical energy to the transmission and distribution grids".

•  The distribution companies are conservative when it comes to connecting small RES plants, due to:

•  The compulsory purchase of the generated electrical energy at preferential prices. In this case the, higher cost of the energy is covered by the consumers of the respective distribution company, not by all the consumers in the country;

•  The definition and the decisions for the automatics of each small RES plant, being determined for each case separately;

•  The compulsory investment of additional funds for the strengthening of the grid to the point of connection of the small RES plants;

•  The purchase of electrical energy generated from RES should be carried out by a single buyer. This is due to the fact that, the higher cost of the electrical energy is to be covered by all the consumers, not just those in the given area.

•  Bulgaria has an "Environmental Energy Producers Association". This Association should pose the question of preparing Rules for simplified conditions and procedures for access of small RES plants to the distributional company, before The State Energy and Water Regulatory Commission.

Contact:
Mr Stefan Fotev - Secretary of the Environmental Energy Producers Association
Phone: +359 888 233 734
www.apee.bg.org