Solar energy funding prepared by ProBaltic Consulting has put more than 50 MW of on-site generation capacity into Lithuanian production plants. Across 22 projects for more than 20 manufacturing companies, the approved grants exceed €6 million.
| Clients | 20+ production companies (SMEs and large enterprises) |
|---|---|
| Field | Renewable energy & climate tech — on-site solar generation |
| Projects | 22 funded projects |
| Installed capacity | More than 50 MW in total |
| Programmes / measures | „Atsinaujinantys energijos ištekliai pramonei LT+“ (LVPA); „Investicinė parama saulės elektrinėms sausumoje“ joint project; Modernisation Fund — renewable energy in ETS-participating industry |
| Approved funding | Over €6,000,000 |
| Services provided | Eligibility assessment, application preparation, project administration |
Challenge
Energy is one of the largest controllable costs in manufacturing, and for companies inside the EU Emissions Trading System it is also a compliance question. Rooftop and ground-mounted photovoltaics answer both, but the investment rarely clears an internal hurdle rate on its own. Grant support changes that arithmetic — provided the application survives the eligibility rules, the state-aid ceilings and the energy-audit evidence each measure demands.
The companies in this portfolio came to the same conclusion independently, in very different industries, over several funding periods.
Industries where the capacity was installed
The 50+ MW is spread across nine industrial sectors, not concentrated in one:
- Food manufacturing — bakery and fresh pastry, biscuits and rusks, chocolate and sugar confectionery, other food products, prepared pet food
- Beverages — brewing
- Oil refining and chemicals — refined petroleum products, plastics in primary forms
- Pulp and paper — pulp production and paper products
- Textiles — fibre preparation and yarn spinning
- Fabricated metal products
- Machinery — industrial ventilation and cooling equipment
- Furniture manufacturing
- Construction — building construction and electrical installation
The spread matters. An energy audit for a brewery and one for a pulp mill lead to entirely different load profiles, and the funding case has to be built on the plant’s own consumption curve rather than on a template.
How the solar energy funding was secured
For each company we assessed eligibility against the measure in force at the time, sized the installation against actual electricity consumption, prepared the application and supporting documentation, and administered the project through reporting and payment requests. Where a company qualified under more than one instrument — structural funds in one period, the Modernisation Fund in another — the projects were sequenced so that the same capital expenditure was not claimed twice.
Three families of measures carried the portfolio: the structural-funds measure for renewable energy in industry during 2014–2020, the joint ground-mounted solar scheme in the 2021–2027 period, and the Modernisation Fund line for renewable energy in companies participating in the EU Emissions Trading System. Current equivalents are listed in our table of open funding calls, and the official source registry is published at esinvesticijos.lt.
Results
- More than 50 MW of solar capacity installed at production sites;
- 22 projects approved for more than 20 companies;
- Over €6 million in approved non-dilutive funding;
- Nine industrial sectors covered, from food processing to oil refining;
- Both SMEs and large enterprises, including ETS-participating industrial groups.
Grant amounts quoted are the maximum sums confirmed in the funding decisions.
Is solar energy funding right for your plant?
Solar energy funding works best where the electricity is consumed on site rather than exported, and the strongest solar energy funding cases start from consumption rather than from roof area. A single-shift bakery and a continuous-process pulp mill produce very different business cases from the same roof area, which is why sizing has to start from the plant’s own load curve.
Before preparing an application we check three things: the annual consumption profile, the usable roof or ground area, and whether the company sits inside the EU Emissions Trading System — that last point decides which instrument applies and how the state-aid ceiling is calculated. Where solar energy funding does not fit, we say so at the eligibility stage rather than after the paperwork is written.
Companies that already hold an energy audit move fastest, because the audit supplies most of the evidence a solar energy funding application needs. Where no audit exists, it is worth commissioning one before the call opens rather than during it.
The three measures behind this portfolio have now closed, but solar energy funding for industry returns in every programming period under a new name. The companies that make the deadline are the ones holding a current audit and a sized technical concept before the call is announced — that is when solar energy funding decisions are effectively won.
Planning a similar project?
ProBaltic Consulting has prepared projects worth more than €250 million since 2007, helping clients secure over €90 million in non-dilutive grants — see our track record or browse other success stories. Learn about our services or contact us for an eligibility assessment. We work on a fixed preparation fee plus a success fee.