The price of photovoltaics, inverters and batteries will increase dramatically from July 1, 2025 due to a product eco-tax. It jumps from 2% to 16%, which is many times higher than the typical European range of 0.3%-3% of the price of, for example, a photovoltaic panel. The reason is that three out of four companies in Bulgaria that utilize electronics and electrical engineering, including components for solar systems, simultaneously decide to raise the prices of their services 10 times. This is happening without serious arguments from these companies, which are an alternative to avoid paying higher product fees for producers and importers, set by the government and collected at the Environmental Protection Activities Management Company (EPMC).
According to a study by the Bulgarian Association for Electrical and Electronics Engineering (BASEL) of the solar industry, the Bulgarian eco-tax is one of the highest in the EU by a huge margin.
The drastic and unilateral increase in product fees will also be visible to end customers. For an average household photovoltaic system with 15 panels, for example, the eco-tax increases from 50.40-90 BGN to 403.20-720 BGN. The eco-tax for a large system with 18 panels will increase from 56-100 BGN to 448-800 BGN. Most Bulgarian homes require 15-20 panels for a standard rooftop installation, depending on the size of the roof, the orientation and the desired power of the system. The sharp jump in the ecotax affects not only photovoltaics, but also inverters, batteries, as well as all components of solar systems.
“The simultaneous increase in the ecotax will add hundreds of levs to the price of a standard solar installation for a household — a measure that risks making solar energy inaccessible to many Bulgarian families. Also, businesses and households that have installed photovoltaics on the roofs of buildings and received EU funding did not foresee this price increase. They will have to bear the new financial burden at their own expense“, commented Dr. Eng. Dimitar Beleliev, Chairman of the Board of BASEL.
The increase in eco-taxes affects not only importers of solar components, but also manufacturers and importers of air conditioners, household electrical appliances, lighting fixtures, equipment and many others. Therefore, BASEL, the Association of Household Electrical Appliance Manufacturers (APPLiA Bulgaria) and BIA propose that the government reduce the product fees of the Environmental Protection Agency by 10 to 12 times in 2 years, until a solution to the crisis is found. Years ago, representatives of BASEL tried to establish an independent organization for the recovery of obsolete electronic and energy equipment, such as organizations in EU countries, but "hit a rock" due to the overwhelming licensing requirements in Bulgaria. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Environment and Water are aware of the problem.