Lithuania devotes €40 million for solar rebates in 2022

The Lithuanian government has decided to allocate a total €40 million in funds for its residential PV rebate scheme in 2022.

The government said it had originally earmarked €5 million for the program and that the budget increase was necessary to meet the strong demand registered since the scheme was launched. Around 12,000 applications totaling 30 MW have already been submitted.

The application deadline is February 11 and the government expects the funds will be fully utilized. “The booming in applications shows that the citizens have a good understanding of the investment returns in green energy,” said energy minister Dainius Kreivys. “The additional funds will not only reduce the energy bills of the population, but will also help to achieve a breakthrough by increasing the energy independence of households.”

The government expects to allocate a total of €300 million for solar rebates until 2029. Residential PV system owners in Lithuania are entitled to sell excess power to the grid under net metering.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the Baltic nation had 148 MW of installed solar power at the end of 2020. It is heavily dependent on energy imports. A plan for energy independence by 2050 foresees the large scale deployment of renewable energy resources.