Answer
Under Article 25a of the Renewable Sources Act, a Bulgarian home or business can build rooftop solar for its own use by notifying the grid operator. Capacity is capped at twice the connection capacity, and 5 MW. Exporting to the grid needs the separate producer-connection procedure. Rooftop permits up to 20 kW must finish within one month.
Last updated: November 2026
Two things decide a Bulgarian rooftop project: whether you will export power, and which price the exported power earns. Own use is a notification. Export is a full connection procedure. The price for small rooftops fell to a level where self-consumption carries most of the return.
This guide is for installers, project owners and designers preparing a Bulgarian rooftop project. A prosumer is a customer who makes some of the power they use. The guide uses these sources, all read on 28 October 2026. They are the Renewable Sources Act as printed on 3 February 2026 (amended through State Gazette 97 of 14 November 2025), Ordinance No. 6 on connection (version of 14 April 2026), EWRC Decision Ц-8 of 30 June 2026 and the pages of the grid operators named below. The State Gazette is Bulgaria’s official journal for laws. EWRC is the Bulgarian Energy and Water Regulatory Commission.
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Key Takeaways
- Own use and export are separate routes. Own use needs only a notification to the network operator (Article 25a). Export needs the producer-connection procedure.
- In EWRC’s 2026 decision, the preferential price for rooftop plants up to 30 kWp is €54.57/MWh excluding VAT. The preferential price is a fixed price the regulator sets for buying small-plant power. A kWp is a kilowatt-peak, the top rating of the panels. MWh means megawatt-hour, a unit of energy. VAT is value added tax. A bill would end the price for new plants.
- EWRC found offers for such systems at about €390/kWp in May 2026.
- The recovery-plan household grant scheme read here shows no open call (round for applications). RESTORE funds grid-scale storage (large energy storage for the grid), not homes.
Choose the Operating Route First
| Intended operation | What the Act says | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Own consumption, no export | The customer notifies the network operator. The operator sends an additional agreement to the access and transmission contract within 14 days. The agreement is signed before the construction permit and no connection opinion is issued. Total capacity can be up to twice the capacity provided to the connection, at most 5 MW. | 25a(1) to (4) |
| Export or sale | Feeding power into the network is allowed only after the producer-connection procedure under the ordinance made under Article 116(7) of the Energy Act. | 25a(5), 26 |
| Solar with storage | A user of own renewable electricity may install storage with the plant, for own consumption, without paying network charges for connecting the storage within its property. | 18a(2) |
| Shared use | Users in the same building may share renewable electricity from installations in the building. Renewable energy communities may share energy from installations they own. Network payments, taxes and fees still apply to each user. | 18a(3), 18b(2) |
In the project file, record the installed capacity and the capacity provided to the connection. Also record the maximum export and the operating mode. The 2x rule (twice the capacity) in Article 25a uses the capacity provided to the connection. It does not use the module nameplate (the rating printed on the module).
Building permits run separately. Article 25b sets a three-month limit for permit procedures. They cover solar equipment and co-located storage (storage built at the same site). For rooftop systems up to 20 kW, the limit is one month. If the authority misses it, consent is deemed given (the permit counts as approved). This applies only if the installed capacity does not exceed the electrical capacity already provided to the connection. There is no blanket rule that every 20 to 50 kW system is approved automatically.
Prepare a Connection File That Matches the Actual Project
The grid operators publish the steps for producers. ERM West is one of them. Its page follows Ordinance No. 6 of 28 March 2024 and lists the stages below. The time limits come from the ordinance and from ERM West’s page.
| Step | Who | What goes in | Time limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Request for connection conditions | Applicant to the network operator | Name and location, list of properties, commissioning stages, installed power, maximum export, operating modes, monthly production forecast, whether energy is for own use, ownership or lease documents, current site sketch (Ordinance Art. 51) | Operator flags gaps within 7 days; applicant has 30 days to fix them |
| 2. Connection opinion | Network operator | Technical conditions, connection scheme, estimated price | 20 days for rooftop plants up to 30 kW; 40 days for 30 kW to 1 MW (Art. 56) |
| 3. Guarantee | Applicant | Deposit or bank guarantee of €25,564.59 per MW of connected power (ERM West; Act Art. 29(1)) | Applicant has three months from the opinion to provide it, or the opinion lapses; the opinion is then valid three months (Art. 57) |
| 4. Preliminary contract | Operator drafts, applicant signs | Request for a preliminary contract | ERM West drafts within 15 days; the contract is valid 2 years |
| 5. Design coordination and permit | Operator and building authority | Investment design; construction permit where required | Permit limits in Article 25b |
| 6. Final connection contract | Operator drafts, applicant signs | Written request with the permit | Draft within 15 days of the request |
| 7. Build, test, commission | Operator and applicant | Test results, metering, released documents | Set in the contract |
A preliminary contract is valid for two years. This is not a connection time. Keep the validity period, the operator’s response times and the contracted works dates as three separate fields. Own-use-only rooftop systems under Article 25a skip steps 1 to 4. They use the notification and the 14-day additional agreement instead.
Export Permission, Sale Price and Bill Savings Are Different
Article 18a says a user of own renewable electricity may sell surplus power. The user can sell through purchase agreements, electricity suppliers or trading agreements. The price is a market price or a support-scheme price. The Act does not describe an offset of exports against imports. An offset means exported power cancels power you buy later. Read net metering and feed-in tariff as two different mechanisms. Net metering lets exports cancel imports. A feed-in tariff pays a set price for exports. See net metering by country for markets that do offset.
Three sale routes appear in the sources:
- Preferential price. EWRC sets it each year. It covers rooftop and facade (outside wall) plants up to 30 kW. They connect to the distribution network in urbanised areas (Article 6(1)1). The distribution network is the local power lines. Decision Ц-8 of 30 June 2026 sets €54.57/MWh excluding VAT for solar. The public or end supplier buys power at that price, up to the net specific production fixed in the decision. Net specific production is the yearly output per kWp that the decision assumes. It is 1,339 kWh per kWp a year. The supplier buys anything above that at the balancing-market excess price (Article 31(5)). The balancing market is the market that balances supply and demand on the grid.
- Negotiated price. EVN is a power company. Its producer page lists a purchase offer at freely negotiated prices for solar plants up to 100 kWp.
- Preferential purchase at EVN. EVN’s “ВЕИ Regular” offer buys at preferential prices. It covers plants built under Article 6(1)1. They must connect to the network of EVN’s southern distribution area.
| Price element in Decision Ц-8 (solar up to 30 kWp) | Value |
|---|---|
| Investment cost assumed | €445/kWp |
| Operating cost | €7.45/MWh |
| Useful life | 15 years |
| Weighted return | 7% |
| Net specific production | 1,339 kWh/kWp |
| Price, excluding VAT | €54.57/MWh (7.45 operating, 31.34 depreciation, 15.78 return) |
- Depreciation€31.34
- Return on investment€15.78
- Operating cost€7.45
- Total price€54.57
Source: EWRC Decision Ц-8 of 30 June 2026, solar up to 30 kWp, checked 28 October 2026.
Key Takeaway
More than half of the price is depreciation of a €445/kWp plant over 15 years. If a real quote comes in above that assumption, the preferential price will not cover the extra cost.
Pending change. A government bill would amend the Act. It would stop preferential purchase for new rooftop and facade plants up to 30 kW. This applies to plants commissioned (put into service) after the amendment takes effect (APSTE’s summary of the bill, July 2026). Press reports say parliament’s energy committee adopted it at second reading (the second vote) on 13 October 2026. They say plants already operating and contracts already signed are not affected. We found no published law as of 28 October 2026. So model new projects both with and without the preferential price.
Solar Panel Cost in Bulgaria
None of the official sources read here publishes a price list for installed systems. The best public figure is the regulator’s own analysis of offers. For its 2026 tariff, EWRC looked at published offers for systems up to 30 kWp in Bulgaria, including installation and connection. It found about €11,711, or €390/kWp, in May 2026. That is about 10% below the €12,782 (€432/kWp) it found in May 2025. EWRC then used the higher figure of €445/kWp in the tariff calculation. The decision also cites pvXchange’s average net price of crystalline silicon modules. This price rose 3.7% from €0.135/Wp to €0.140/Wp between April 2025 and April 2026.
The offers EWRC analysed come from three online retailers named in its footnote. Treat €390/kWp as a regulator’s benchmark for systems of about 30 kWp, not as a quote. Get itemised quotes (with each cost listed) for the actual size, roof and inverter. An inverter is the device that turns panel DC power into AC power.
Self-Consumption and Storage: Worked Example
Pro Tip
Run the worked example twice: once with export revenue at €54.57/MWh and once with export revenue at zero. If the project only works in the first case, treat it as exposed to the pending bill.
Use the EWRC planning yield (expected yearly output) of 1,339 kWh/kWp for a quick check. Then replace it with a modeled profile. The self-use share below is an assumption, not a measured value.
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Annual output, 10 kWp | 10 × 1,339 kWh | 13,390 kWh |
| Self-used, assumed 30% | 13,390 × 0.30 | 4,017 kWh |
| Exported | 13,390 × 0.70 | 9,373 kWh |
| Export revenue at €54.57/MWh | 9,373 kWh × €0.05457 | €511.48 a year |
| Plant cost at EWRC’s tariff assumption of €445/kWp | 10 × €445 | €4,450 |
The €511.48 applies only if the plant qualifies for the preferential price. The 4,017 self-used kWh are worth your supplier’s energy rate on the bill. That rate depends on your contract, so take it from the bill. Time-of-day load (when you use power during the day) matters more than annual totals. A battery adds cost and losses. Article 18a(2) only removes the network charge for connecting the storage within your property. The calculation method is in the self-consumption calculation guide, and generation and financial modeling can carry the inputs into a proposal.
Grants and Funding Programmes
| Programme | Who qualifies | Amount | Status read on 28 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| National household renewable energy scheme (recovery plan) | Citizens, EU citizens and permanent residents who own a single-family home or a flat; the home must be the main residence and replace an inefficient solid-fuel heat source | Photovoltaics up to 10 kWp, storage included: up to 70% of cost, maximum BGN 15,000. Solar hot water: up to 100%, maximum BGN 1,960.83 | Ministry of Energy page shows applications until 10 November 2023 for the first stage; no open household call is listed |
| RESTORE | Operators of grid-scale storage | EUR 603 million from the Recovery and Resilience Facility, for 3,000 MWh of storage | Not a household or rooftop grant |
Keep an unapproved award (a grant not yet approved) out of the base-case household calculation. For shared rooftops, Article 18a(3) lets users in one building share production. The Act does not set up a ready-made tariff for sharing. So the supplier and operator terms decide the billing.
Release Checklist for Bulgarian Project Teams
- Identify the network operator and the municipal or building authority for the site.
- State the operating mode: own use, export or storage, and the capacities used.
- Keep the notification or connection request, the operator’s replies and the permit.
- Match the design, equipment and connection scheme to the customer proposal.
- Confirm the buyer, the metering and the price before counting export revenue.
- Model the project with and without the preferential price.
- Hand over the approved documents, operating limits and the date of the next review.
Use the solar compliance resource hub for related markets.
Check payback on your Bulgarian load profile
Bring a Bulgarian project to a guided demo. See roof modeling, shading, energy yield and proposal output, and compare commercial roofs with the commercial solar design software guide. Outputs support design and documentation and do not replace the operator or authority approval.
Book a DemoChecking cost first? See the SurgePV pricing page
Frequently Asked Questions
How much rooftop solar can a Bulgarian home or business install for its own use?
Article 25a of the Renewable Sources Act lets an end customer build rooftop or facade solar for own consumption. The total installed capacity can be up to twice the capacity provided to the connection, and at most 5 MW. The customer notifies the network operator, which sends an additional agreement within 14 days. Sending power into the grid needs the producer-connection procedure.
Does Bulgaria offset exported solar against imported electricity?
No offset is written into the Renewable Sources Act. Article 18a lets a user of own renewable electricity sell surplus. The user can sell through a purchase agreement, an electricity supplier or trading agreements. The sale is at market prices or under a support scheme. The value of exported energy is the price in that contract.
What does the Bulgarian feed-in tariff pay for a rooftop up to 30 kW?
EWRC Decision Ц-8 of 30 June 2026 sets the preferential price for rooftop and facade solar up to 30 kWp at €54.57/MWh excluding VAT. It is based on 1,339 kWh/kWp of annual output. A bill was moving through parliament in October 2026. It would end this price for new plants commissioned after the law changes.
How much does a rooftop solar system cost in Bulgaria?
For its 2026 tariff, EWRC analysed published offers for systems up to 30 kWp, including installation and connection. It found about €11,711 or €390/kWp in May 2026. That is down about 10% from €432/kWp in May 2025. EWRC used €445/kWp in the tariff calculation. Your own quote can differ.
How long does a grid connection take?
The operator’s connection opinion is due 20 days after the request for rooftop plants up to 30 kW. The opinion gives its technical terms and price estimate. For plants from 30 kW to 1 MW, it is due after 40 days (Ordinance No. 6, Article 56). Build and commissioning times are set in the connection contract. The opinion stays valid for three months after the guarantee is provided.
Will a battery shorten payback?
Only if the extra energy it lets you use on site is worth more than its cost. Article 18a allows storage on the property without paying network charges for the stored energy. But the battery still adds cost that the saved energy has to repay.
Are RESTORE grants available to households?
No. The European Commission describes RESTORE as EUR 603 million for grid-scale storage of 3,000 MWh. A separate national recovery-plan scheme funded household photovoltaics (solar panels) up to 70% of cost. The maximum was BGN 15,000 (Bulgarian lev). The Ministry of Energy page shows a first-stage application deadline of 10 November 2023. It lists no open household call.
Sources
- Energy from Renewable Sources Act, English text (EWRC)
- Ordinance No. 6 of 28 March 2024 on connection, version of 14 April 2026 (EWRC)
- EWRC Decision Ц-8 of 30 June 2026 on preferential prices
- ERM West: connection of production facilities
- EVN: producers
- Ministry of Energy: household photovoltaic scheme, public consultation draft and application start
- European Commission: RESTORE investment page
- APSTE: summary of the July 2026 bill amending the Act and podtepeto.com, 16 October 2026 (press reports on the committee vote)
Where this fits
This article is part of SurgePV's Solar Incentives & Policy hub, which works through the topic from first principles to the decisions a project team actually has to make.
