SME non-repayable contribution: what is it?
The non-repayable contribution it is an economic benefit provided by the PNRR to support those who want invest in renewable energy and enter a Renewable Energy Community. To apply for it, a company must first comply with these requirements:
- Be one Small or Medium Enterprisei.e. having fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than 50 million euros;
- Do not plan to install a system with a power greater than 1MW;
- Access one Renewable Energy Community (CER). In fact, the contribution has the objective of encourage the creation of CERs as much as possible in the national territory.
If these requirements are met, you can request a non-repayable contribution, the amount of which varies depending on the power of the photovoltaic system that you decide to install. Here are the maximums:
| System power | Maximum (euro/kW) |
| Up to 20 kW | 1500 |
| From 20 to 200 kW | 1200 |
| From 200 to 600 kW | 1100 |
| From 600 kW to 1 MW | 1050 |
The advantages of Renewable Energy Communities for companies
As we have explained, to access the non-repayable contribution it is essential to join a CER. As we know, these are associations of private citizens, SMEs and public bodies coming together to share renewable energy produced locally. In the CER, in fact, there are producers, i.e. those who decide to install a system and make their surplus energy virtually available to the rest of the Community, and consumers, who do not have a photovoltaic system and use shared energy .
More and more Renewable Energy Communities are emerging throughout Italy, each of which has a different Regulation and territorial extension, but all of which allow access to the non-repayable contribution and an incentive premium rate on shared energy.
The companies who decide to part of a CER as producers can benefit from different advantageslike:
- The premium rate on shared energy: anyone who is part of a Renewable Energy Community is entitled to a premium rate on shared energy, which is provided by the Energy Services Manager (GSE). If the non-repayable contribution is obtained, the premium rate is halved, but is still received;
- If you are located in a municipality with less than 5000 inhabitants, the possibility of obtaining a non-repayable contribution for the construction of photovoltaic systems: the contribution, which covers up to 40% of the costs, allows the initial costs linked to the investment to be significantly reduced;
- Get a faster return on investment: thanks to the savings on the bill, the sale of excess energy produced with Dedicated Withdrawal, the premium rate and the lower initial expense, the return on the investment becomes easier.
Naturally, we also add to this the other advantages linked to photovoltaics, i.e. a significant savings on energy costs and the reducing its environmental impact.
How to access the non-repayable contribution
Access to the contribution requires precise timing and careful planning. Interested companies must:
- Request advice from experts in the photovoltaic sector to evaluate your energy needs and design a tailor-made photovoltaic system that respects the technical requirements required to access the benefit;
- Get a personalized quotewhich will be the basis for requesting the contribution;
- Identify and join a Renewable Energy Community that covers your primary cabin. It is possible to contact your municipality and propose the establishment of a new CER or become part of already existing entities that cover larger areas, such as the CER Svea Solar Nord1 ETSa recognized third sector association available to citizens, businesses and entities located in Northern Italy and which can be joined free of charge
- Submit the application to access the contribution by March 31, 2025. The GSE evaluates the requests in the following 90 days. Attention: during this period, it is not allowed to start installation work on the system.
As is evident, the non-repayable contribution is an unmissable opportunity for SMEs who want to invest in photovoltaic. To take advantage of it, however, it is important not to waste time. For this reason, if your company is interested in switching to photovoltaic, we recommend that you contact photovoltaic experts as soon as possible and identify an active CER in your area.
