The article was published on la.lv
The energy consumer is at the centre of the European Union’s energy policy. Moreover, by combining the concepts of consumer and producer, a new term emerges — prosumer (“producer + consumer”). Rendering it into Latvian would be rather awkward, so we will stick to the descriptive characterization: a “producing consumer.”
Active consumer participation in production is considered an important precondition for a successful transition of the energy sector to a new stage. The European Commission’s recent proposals on clean energy for all Europeans are based on smart‑grid technologies and solutions designed to accelerate, transform, and consolidate the EU’s shift toward green energy. A consumer can simultaneously become a producer in several ways and at varying levels of involvement. A vivid example is large industrial facilities, which can become powerful energy producers if they establish autonomous generation points — for instance, rooftop solar panel complexes, wind turbines, or other equipment.
At the same time, energy can also be produced by a community or even a household — on a correspondingly smaller scale, yet still in quantities that make it partially independent from centralized energy‑generation and distribution systems. Given the increasingly broad support within the EU, interest in these solutions is growing in Latvia as well, including pilot projects in Mārupe and elsewhere, where experiments with solar panels and heat pumps are underway.
It should be emphasized that, given the expected co‑financing, these projects can also be economically advantageous. For large companies in particular, the consumer‑producer concept can mean significant savings on energy costs, taking into account the tax system, prices, and also OIK payments.
he shift from consumer to producer‑consumer also brings the benefit of transitioning to “green” energy, thereby increasing sustainability — that is, a responsible attitude toward the climate and the surrounding environment. This, in turn, is an aspect that is becoming increasingly important both for financial institutions and for clients. Put very simply — being green is not only modern, it is a way to maintain one’s competitiveness.
The current European Green Deal, with its focus on renewable energy and the consumer‑producer model, may well become a thorn in the side of large energy producers, and a struggle for influence across key sectors is to be expected.
While green energy once seemed like the quirky passion of a few eccentrics, large corporations could afford to smile tolerantly. But the new winds are no longer gentle breezes — they are a strong gust filling the sails of the green economy, one that may strip away a layer of comfortable fat even from the biggest players.
Attempts to draw attention to the challenges of green energy have been made before, both within the EU and in the broader global context. However, it must be said that the current momentum places the issue of renewable energy more seriously than ever — as a prerequisite for climate‑neutral development, or, as many knowledgeable politicians like to put it in lofty terms, for our good life on Earth.
