Solar power on a farm or guesthouse in RS: prosumer rules and support

This article explains what the Law on Renewable Energy Sources of Republika Srpska means for a guesthouse, rural household or farm that wants solar panels, and which agricultural subsidy for solar panels exists. It concerns owners of farms, guesthouses, restaurants and processors.

In short

• Every end customer has the right to build a renewable plant and connect it to the internal installations of their building for own consumption. This makes them a prosumer (kupac-proizvođač).
• The plant's installed power cannot exceed the approved connection power of the building (under net metering and net billing).
• Surplus power is settled by size: up to 10.8 kW net metering, 10.8 to 50 kW net billing, above 50 kW the standard supply scheme.
• Surplus left after the annual settlement on 1 April is not compensated (not paid out).
• The subsidy from the Agencija za agrarna plaćanja (Agency for Agrarian Payments) covers solar panels only on production buildings (production and processing of agricultural products), from at least 20,000 KM of investment, up to 500 kW, and not for commercial electricity production. A guesthouse or accommodation building is not a production building. The 2026 public call is closed.

Who it applies to

• Households and companies or entrepreneurs who are end customers of electricity. For customers that are not households, generating power must not be their main business.
• The plant may be owned by a third party under a separate agreement with the end customer.
• Customers in the same building or housing complex may join a joint generation scheme (Articles 57 and 58), with a contract among themselves.
• Subsidy for panels on a production building: farmers entered in the Register of Agricultural Holdings with residence or seat in RS.

What to do

1. Check the approved connection power of your building on your bill or with the distributor. The panel capacity must not exceed it.
2. Choose the size according to the settlement scheme above. Up to 10.8 kW surplus is carried over as an energy credit in kWh, from 10.8 to 50 kW as a monetary credit.
3. The plant must be built by a legal entity holding a licence for electric power installations, issued by the ministry in charge of construction. The competent distribution system operator connects it on the basis of a certificate of completed works. For the exact procedure and documents, contact your local electricity distribution office.
4. The operator installs a two-way meter. The supplier must take over the surplus power.
5. Prosumer status is acquired by connecting the plant and obtaining a certificate for the generating facility. For plants up to 50 kW the certificate is issued by the competent distribution system operator as part of the connection declaration. For larger plants it is issued by the Regulatorna komisija za energetiku Republike Srpske (Energy Regulatory Commission of RS) on the producer's request.
6. If you want the agricultural subsidy: follow the public call of the Agency for Agrarian Payments. The application needs the usage permit of the building (or the request for it) and pro-forma invoices. After the investment you submit a payment request and a certified statement that you will not sell the panels for at least three years.

Deadlines and amounts

• The billing period is one month, and the supplier makes the final settlement on 1 April for the previous twelve months.
• 2026 subsidy: 40% of eligible costs for commercial family farms, entrepreneurs and legal entities, 20% for non-commercial farms. This rises to 50% and 25% for, among others, farms at 600 m above sea level or higher, holders under 40 and women holders. VAT is not eligible.
• Cap per single basis: 50,000 KM (non-commercial), 100,000 KM (commercial), 200,000 KM (entrepreneurs and legal entities).
• The 2026 public call is closed (published in April, open for 15 days), so new applications cannot be submitted. Beneficiaries who received a decision reserving funds must complete the investment and submit the payment request by 15 October 2026 at the latest. Watch the Agency's page for the 2027 call; the date is not known.
• On 2 July 2026 the Government of Republika Srpska adopted the Proposal of the Law on Amendments to the Law on Renewable Energy Sources for urgent procedure. The proposal concerns small ground-mounted (non-rooftop) solar plants up to 150 kW with a guaranteed purchase price: it introduces a mandatory distance between such plants and abolishes the reservation, that is the prior right to the incentive. The Government's announcement does not mention prosumers or rooftop plants for own use. Up to Službeni glasnik RS no. 94/26 no amendments have been published, so Law 16/22 applies unchanged.

Tips

• Measure your consumption: a plant that covers daytime cooling, cold storage and processing pays back best, because surplus is valued lower than the price you pay (the monetary credit is the energy price minus 5%).
• For a guesthouse, get installation quotes without counting on the state subsidy, because this rulebook has none for accommodation. Support from the Environmental Fund or municipal energy-efficiency measures was not checked, so ask your municipality.

Where to go

• Agencija za agrarna plaćanja, Banja Luka, tel. 051/338-549, aaprs.info@mps.vladars.net
• Your local electricity distribution company (distribution system operator) for connection, the meter and the certificate up to 50 kW.
• Regulatorna komisija za energetiku Republike Srpske for the certificate of plants above 50 kW.

Laws and sources

• Law on Renewable Energy Sources (Službeni glasnik Republike Srpske 16/22), Articles 52 to 59
• Rulebook on cash incentives for capital investments in agricultural production in 2026 (Službeni glasnik RS 29/26, in force since 15.4.2026), Articles 4, 5 and 21