Reliefs, financing and subsidies for solar PV

“MÓJ PRĄD” (“MY ELECTRICITY”)

The “Mój Prąd” (“My Electricity”) priority programme is an instrument dedicated to the promotion of prosumer energy in Poland and aimed at both supporting the PV micro‑installation segment and facilitating the fulfilment of Poland’s commitments in terms of renewable energy development.

 

The Polish state budget has secured PLN 1 bn for this programme. The money will be spent on non-refundable subsidies for PV micro-installations.

 

The programme is intended for people who generate electricity from micro‑installations for internal consumption and who have concluded a comprehensive agreement regulating the process whereby electricity is fed into the grid and subsequently used.

 

The subsidy can cover up to 50% of the eligible costs, within a limit of PLN 5,000 per one investment.

 

The first cycle of collecting applications has already been completed. The second cycle is currently underway – it is scheduled to last until 18 December 2020 or until the funds are exhausted.

 

The application can be submitted online via the Trusted Profile.

 

THERMAL MODERNISATION TAX RELIEF

The relief makes it possible for the expenses incurred in relation to the thermal modernisation carried out in a single-family residential building to be deducted from the basis for the calculation of tax (or income – in the case of the lump-sum tax).

The relief is available to the owners and co-owners of single-family residential buildings.

A thermal modernisation project is understood as any undertaking which involves:

• an improvement resulting in the reduction in the demand for energy supplied for the heating used for domestic water and in residential buildings;
• an improvement resulting in the reduction of primary energy losses in both local heat distribution networks as well as local heat sources feeding such networks, provided that either the residential buildings supplied with energy from these networks meet the energy saving requirements set out in the construction law, or the appropriate measures have been taken in order to limit the consumption of energy supplied to said buildings;
• the technical connection to a centralised heat source, carried out in relation to the elimination of a local heat source and resulting in the reduction in the costs of acquiring heat supplied to residential buildings;
• either the transition (total or partial) to renewable energy sources or the use of high‑efficiency cogeneration.

Please note that it is not possible to benefit from the relief if a given building is still under construction.

The deduction applies to expenses which:

• are listed in the appendix to the Regulation of the Minister of Investment and Economic Development of 21 December 2018 on determining the list of types of construction materials, equipment and services related to the implementation of thermal modernisation projects (Dz.U. [Journal of Laws], item 2489);
• relate to a thermal modernisation project scheduled for completion within the next three years, counting from the end of the tax year in which the taxpayer incurred the first expense;
• have been documented through an invoice issued by a payer of the goods and services tax, provided that the payer is not exempt from such tax;
• have neither been financed (subsidised) under the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management or the voivodeship funds for environmental protection and water management nor returned to the taxpayer in any form;
• have not been classified as deductible costs, deducted from income pursuant to the Act on Lump Sum Income Tax on Certain Income Earned by Natural Persons or taken into account by the taxpayer in connection with the use of tax reliefs within the meaning of the Tax Ordinance.

Importantly, it is possible to benefit from the “My Electricity” programme and the thermal modernisation relief at the same time. However, in such a case, the expenses incurred in relation to thermal modernisation have to be reduced by the amount of the non-refundable subsidy received.

The deduction is made as part of the return for the tax year in which such an expenditure was borne.

The amount of deduction which was not reflected in the taxpayer’s income (revenue) for a given tax year is subject to deduction in subsequent years, but for no longer than 6 years, counting from the end of the tax year in which the first expense arose.

The amount of the deduction cannot exceed PLN 53,000 with respect to all thermal modernisation projects carried out in individual buildings of which the taxpayer is the owner or co-owner.

LEASING AND BANK LOANS

Many banks have realised that undertaking activities linked to the renewable energy market could attract new clients. Thanks to the high popularity of both renewable energy sources as well as investments related to them, more and more financial institutions want to finance such projects.

Loans offered by these institutions vary considerably in terms of interest rates and length of repayment. Some loans also have a limit on the maximum amount that can be obtained. Many offers of installation companies include financing for a PV installation under an agreement with a specific bank. This is a beneficial solution, as such loans are often granted on preferential terms.

Besides loans, another highly popular form of financing PV investments is leasing. Under this financial instrument, it is possible to pay a leasing fee (which can be classed as a tax-deductible expense) in order to use an asset that is formally owned by the lessor. This solution provides the opportunity to finance an investment with profit even before taxation. Once all leasing instalments have been paid, the asset can usually be purchased at a symbolic price.

Benefits of leasing a PV installation:

• leasing instalments replace a one-off investment – a profit is made every month;
• in a way, the installation pays for itself by reducing electricity bills;
• leasing reduces the tax burden on the entrepreneur who uses this financial instrument;
• the purchase of the installation (also by means of a loan) requires a one-off VAT payment, whereas under leasing, VAT is spread across all instalments.

 

8% VAT

As of 23 November 2019, micro-installations are subject to VAT at the rate of 8%.

In this context, a micro-installation is understood as a renewable energy source installation with a total capacity of less than 50 kW, connected to a power grid with a rated voltage below 110 kV.

In practice, the reduced VAT applies to owners of single-family houses with a floor area of up to 300 sqm.

Pursuant to Art. 12 of the Polish VAT Act, the 8% VAT rate applies to:

1) the supply, construction, renovation, modernisation, thermal modernisation, reconstruction or maintenance works in relation to buildings (or parts thereof) covered by a social housing programme;

2) maintenance works concerning:

1. a) residential buildings or parts thereof, excluding commercial premises; or
2. b) residential premises in non-residential buildings classified under section 12 of the Polish Classification of Types of Constructions

– to the extent that such works are not covered by the 8% rate on the basis of point 1 above.

Buildings covered by social housing programmes do not include:

1) single-family residential buildings with a usable floor area exceeding 300 sqm;

2) residential premises with a usable floor area exceeding 150 sqm.

 

FARMERS: POSSIBILITY OF FULL VAT DEDUCTION

All farmers can deduct investments in PV installations from the agricultural tax.

 

People running farms, whether on the basis of active VAT settlement or lump-sum fees, can apply for an investment relief.

 

Farmers can deduct up to 25% of the costs incurred for a PV installation from the agricultural tax over the period of 15 consecutive accounting years.

 

For example, let’s take the following scenario: each year, a farmer pays the agricultural tax on land of PLN 2,000. As he has invested PLN 100,000 in a PV installation, he is entitled to an investment relief of 25%, which amounts to PLN 25,000. Thus, the farmer can deduct PLN 1,700 from agricultural tax for 14 years, and in the 15th year, he will be able to deduct PLN 1,200 (because 14 years x PLN 1,700 = PLN 23,800).

 

It is important to remember that the relief is not granted ex officio. People seeking it have to submit invoices and an application to the appropriate municipality office. The decision to grant the relief is taken by the mayor of a given municipality, town or city (as applicable).

 

In addition, if a farmer obtains any public funding (subsidy) for the investment, he/she loses the right to benefit from the investment relief described above.

 

THE “AGROENERGIA” (AGROENERGY) PROGRAMME

 

The aim of the programme is to increase production from renewable sources in the agricultural sector.

The total budget of the programme is PLN 200M.

Applications and contracts are currently scheduled to be accepted until 2023, while the call itself takes place on an ongoing basis.

The funding is available in the form of a non-refundable subsidy limited to 20% of the eligible costs of the installation, in accordance with the following table:

Dofinansowanie w formie dotacji	Co-funding in the form of subsidies
moc instalacji [kW]	The installation’s capacity [kW]
procentowy udział w kosztach kwalifikowanych	Percentage share in eligible costs
do 20%	Up to 20%
do 13%	Up to 13%
nie więcej niż [zł]	Below [PLN]

The beneficiaries are:

1) natural persons who own or lease agricultural properties with a total area of agricultural land between 1 and 300 hectares and who have been personally running a farm for at least one year prior to submitting the application;

2) legal persons who own or lease agricultural properties with a total area of agricultural land between 1 and 300 hectares and who have been carrying out an agricultural activity or a business involving agricultural services for at least one year prior to submitting the application.

REGIONAL OPERATIONAL PROGRAMMES AND SUBSIDIES AVAILABLE IN VARIOUS CITIES

There are two regional Operational Programmes currently underway:

1. the Lower Silesian Voivodeship: housing cooperatives and associations can benefit from low-interest loans (with annual interest rate of 0.5%, repayment period of up to 20 years and grace period of up to 12 months);
2. the Greater Poland Voivodeship: there is the “Słoneczne dachy” (Sunny Roofs) programme in place, offering subsidies for housing cooperatives and multi-family houses.

 

In addition, some cities provide financial assistance linked to solar PV:

1. Warsaw: a subsidy of up to PLN 15,000 for the purchase and installation of a PV system is available. The programme is intended for individuals, companies as well as housing cooperatives and associations.
2. Sopot: there are subsidies of up to PLN 5,000 for single-family houses and up to PLN 15,000 for other buildings (for beneficiaries such as companies or housing cooperatives and associations).
3. Gdynia: subsidies of up to PLN 2,500 for single-family houses and up to PLN 5,000 for multi-family buildings are offered.
4. Pruszcz Gdański: there is a subsidy of up to PLN 7,000 for single-family buildings in place (limits: maximum 40% of gross costs; the installation’s capacity of no more than 10 kWp).

 

Written by : Rafał Niestępski

Ekxspert for Photovoltaic Solutions

e-mail: fotowoltaika@eneria.pl