Make Hay While the Sun Shines: Beneficiaries of Renewable Energy Promotion

Abstract

One of the conditions behind the development of any company is its capability of meeting the constantly changing challenges posed by the surrounding environment. Photovoltaics in Poland has been a boom industry in recent years. On 1 April 2022, new changes in photovoltaics came into force. A very short transition time will bring about serious problems to companies dealing in the photovoltaics branch since it has had an exceptionally short time to sufficiently prepare for the changes. The article presents results of a questionnaire-based survey conducted among 394 companies dealing in fitting photovoltaic installations in Poland. The subjects were selected for participation according to the purposive sample principle. The aim of the article was to present and analyze the entrepreneurs’ opinions concerning prospects for development in the nearest year to come. The alterations to the system of support of prosumers, which entered into force on 1 April 2022, will limit the interest in photovoltaic installations, which in turn will cause significant changes in the functioning of companies dealing in this business. Consequently, companies must make every effort to monitor and to interpret the events in their environment, to take appropriate actions to survive. About 80% of the companies will tend to use quality as a key differentiator in a crowded market. Firms adapt to the new situation and initiate both reactive and proactive responses. Almost 60% of the enterprises attach great importance to analyses of their competitors’ activities. Enterprises are aware of trends appearing on the market. A total of 28.9% of the surveyed enterprises consider the possibility of introducing new services (e.g., exploitation services) or new products (e.g., photovoltaic roofing-tiles or energy storage). It should be noted that the survey had been completed one week before the military conflict in Ukraine started. This poses limitations to the conclusions, which are too early to assess.