Access, transmission and distribution of energy coming from RES is guaranteed by law in all of the NMS. Not all of them give priority to energy coming from solar systems, but the principle of nondiscrimination protects the PV producers. Proceedings – their complexity and duration vary among the countries. On one hand most of NMS are improving administrative bottlenecks, seeing the simplicity of connection procedure as important incentive towards RES development. On the other hand technical barriers represent insurmountable obstacle for investors. In many NMS adjustment of the utility and its modernization may only be made on PV systems operator initiative and at hisexpense. Obviously such expenditures are often lethal for PV investments. Preliminary results of the research on this matter are shown in Table 6.

Table 6. Grid connection process in NMS

Grid connection procedure in Malta seems to be the shortest and the least complicated. since so far the capacity installed at a site was not critical. One need to remark that net-metering with a low spill-off tariff does not encourage electricity production more than consumption, so physical connection to the grid is not yet an issue. NMS average time needed to go through the entire procedure is below 6 months. In Slovenia the approach to grid connection is shallow, what means that the grid operator is obliged to connect all RES producers and foresee and finance necessary grid reinforcement, the producers have to finance the connection to the grid. Still, there are countries like Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Bulgaria where investors need to be much more patient.

Crucial point is the financial participation of grid operator in the connection process. If the investor is obliged to cover all of the costs, it often means that he is to pay for the grid extension and modernisation. These expenditures discourage potential investors in Slovakia, Latvia and Estonia. However. Polish 50% discount is just a facade. In reality grid operators often refuse to connect RES producers because of infrastructure deficiencies, while the producers are not able to pay for the renovation of the system. In order to encourage RES development and fulfill the requirements outlined in RES Directive it is essential to remove administrative barriers and head towards one-step authorization that would no longer be an issue to worry about. Advanced streamlined solutions should not be underestimated.

Despite numerous bottle necks, NMS seem tobe on track to simplify grid connection procedure and make the utility accessible for PV on both legal and real life levels.