Solar panels power Moldovan businesses
More and more Moldovan entrepreneurs are choosing to install solar panels to cut down on their electricity bills. Sergiu Ermurachi, who owns a traditional Moldovan pastry shop (plăcintărie), decided to implement this solution. It currently covers half of his business's energy needs.
Sergiu Ermurachi started his business in 2016, opening the pastry shop with his family. Due to high energy consumption, the young entrepreneur decided to buy solar panels. The first set, with a total capacity of 120 kilowatts, was installed three years ago.
"Before we installed the solar panels, our energy expenses were very high. If we hadn't installed them, we would've been forced to raise product prices. After we installed them, we optimized costs and significantly reduced our electricity bill. Our monthly bill dropped to less than 100,000 lei," Sergiu Ermurachi told Moldova 1.
The entrepreneur plans to install even more solar panels to further reduce his bills.
"I liked the idea. We're moving on to the second phase; we're in the process of installing another 80 kW. Right now, our current panels cover 50 percent of our needs. If we add another 80 kilowatts, we'll cover 75-80 percent," he calculates.
Even the employees have noticed the energy savings.
"It seems better. I think it's better. Of course, expenses were higher before." "Since I joined, we're growing and developing every day." "Fewer expenses and more comfortable to work."
The 120-kilowatt solar panels cost two million lei, and the 80-kilowatt panels cost approximately 900,000 lei. To install them, the entrepreneur secured an 82,000-euro loan through the "Orchard of Moldova" project.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
