ariffs from group A – what is worth knowing about electricity for the largest consumers?

Electricity tariffs are price plans adapted by electricity producers to individual recipients. Different rates apply to households, others for small enterprises, and still different for the largest customers, such as mines or factories. In the article below, we will describe the tariff from group A with its division into subcategories (tariff a21, tariff a22 and tariff a23). We will answer what the A tariff is, for whom it was created and why having a company’s own photovoltaic power plant can be an extremely profitable investment.

What is tariff A?

Tariff A was created in response to the needs of the largest factories in Poland, and its amount usually depends on the result of individual price negotiations between the seller and the company. For customers in this sector, it is necessary to ensure the highest quality and security of supplies, as any interruptions would result in huge financial losses. Only the largest electricity suppliers are able to cope with the challenge, therefore the market for supplying A tariffs is quite narrowly narrow. In this case, the current is supplied via the high-voltage line.

For whom is the A tariff the best option?

Tariff A is an advantageous offer, primarily for production plants with a very large area, generating huge demand for electricity. They include, among others car production plants, steel mills, shipyards, mines, construction companies. The energy transmission to these companies is ensured by a transmission network with a phase-to-phase voltage of 110 kV. The very construction of infrastructure for such a service turns out to be a considerable technical and logistic challenge, forcing a number of measures to ensure adequate insulation. In Poland, several dozen companies currently use the A tariff. Despite a relatively small number of recipients, tariff group A customers account for 22% of the total electricity consumption in the country.

Types of tariffs A

Tariff A consists of three main categories: tariff A21, tariff A22 and tariff A23. The first digit is the size of the ordered power. In the case of other tariffs on the market, there is the number 1 here, which limits the power to 40 kW and specifies the rated current of the resolver protection in the current path as not exceeding 63 A. The largest companies use the number 2, which indicates the demand for electricity above 40 kW and electricity rated higher than 63A. The following digits define the number of time zones on the basis of which the transmission settlement is made.

Tariff A21 means 24-hour billing (one zone). Tariff A22 splits the financial calculation into two hourly zones, depending on the peak and off-peak hours. Tariff A23 divides the billing into three time zones – morning hours, afternoon hours and other hours.

Solar farms and tariff A

A photovoltaic farm, otherwise known as a solar power plant, is a separated area of several hectares, on which solar panel installations are located. It is an alternative for companies, potentially much more advantageous than the negotiating tariffs from group A.

The costs of installing the complete photovoltaic infrastructure are compensated by free electricity, the supply of which can be independent of weather conditions thanks to batteries capable of storing large amounts of energy during sunny days. The estimated payback time in Poland is around 10 years, which is a very attractive result. For plants with the highest demand for energy, it may be even shorter (due to the possibility of selling surplus energy to the grid), thanks to which the construction of a photovoltaic farm may turn out to be the best possible option to ensure a constant, safe and long-term free energy supply.

Over the next several years, a rapid development of photovoltaic farms in Poland is expected. Currently, Germany produces nearly 100 times more electricity from the sun than in our country. Companies that decide to build a photovoltaic farm now may gain a huge competitive advantage in the future. The process of building a photovoltaic farm is based on many stages, which include determining the location, project preparation, obtaining grid connection conditions and the construction of the solar power plant itself. Each of them requires knowledge and quality control.

Helios Strategia implements comprehensive projects and projects for the construction of photovoltaic farms. They are particularly beneficial for companies that intend to become independent from external electricity supplies, while having a high demand for electricity that cannot be met by an ordinary power plant. The type of service from A to Z ensures quality, speed and tailoring the offer to individual customer needs. The “one contractor” strategy minimizes the risk and guarantees the successful outcome of the project. The highest quality production technology gives the user a failure-free system that is resistant to weather conditions and brings long-term profits.