Photovoltaic panels installed by the Pervomaisc village hall in Căușeni will cover part of the energy consumption for the pumps supplying over 900 residents with drinking water. With a capacity of 48 kW, the panels were installed with the support of the "European Village" Program and are equipped with smart, bidirectional meters that can track both energy consumption and production by the hour. This will allow the Pervomaisc village hall to apply time-of-use electricity tariffs—using renewable energy during the day and feeding any surplus into the grid, while benefiting from reduced rates at night.
Additionally, the lower electricity costs for pumping drinking water will enable the local utility company to request a reduction in water tariffs for residents in the villages of Pervomaisc and Constantinovca. The photovoltaic parks that will power the three artesian wells are currently operating in test mode and are expected to become fully operational in a few weeks.
The progress of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, as well as any potential implementation challenges, were discussed on Monday during a working visit by Minister of Energy Dorin Junghietu to the Căușeni district. The Minister welcomed the initiative of local authorities to use renewable energy to reduce the cost of providing drinking water services to communities, taking advantage of the "net billing" support mechanism and the funding from the "European Village" Program.
Dorin Junghietu highlighted that by the end of March 2025, more than 37 MW of photovoltaic capacity had been installed under the Net Billing mechanism, with nearly 4 MW belonging to local public authorities. He reminded that the Ministry of Energy has proposed allocating an individual capacity cap of up to 7 kW for residential prosumers’ photovoltaic installations. Current beneficiaries of the net billing mechanism who have prosumer contracts with a lower capacity limit will be able to request an increase up to the 7 kW threshold. Additionally, the Ministry proposed removing reserved capacity quotas for different types of prosumers—household consumers, local public authorities, and private companies—thus facilitating broader access for public authorities to the Net Billing support mechanism.
The Minister of Energy also visited the energy-independent fire station in Căinari. With support from USAID, the Government of the Republic of Moldova, and local authorities, the station was equipped with 55 kW photovoltaic panels, three heat pumps, a natural gas boiler, and generators. This is the third fire station equipped with solar panels, and the first, such as the one in Ștefan Vodă, has already operated for two years with zero energy and heating costs. The Căinari fire station serves 13 localities with a total population of 22,000 and also provides emergency support to six other communities when needed.
Another successful project in the Căușeni district is the district hospital, which serves a population of over 70,000 people. The hospital has been equipped with 96 kW photovoltaic panels, four 250 kW biomass boilers, solar collectors for hot water, and generators.
