German solar wants faster subsidy cuts
FRANKFURT, GERMANY - German solar companies in industry association BSW are proposing to cut subsidies faster than planned, Solarworld Chief Executive Frank Asbeck told a German magazine.
So far, plans had called for a 10 percent reduction of feed-in tariffs — incentives utilities are obliged to pay for power generated from renewable sources — in early 2010 and another 10 percent a year later. BSW is now proposing to add a cut in mid-2010.
"Some 10 percent on January 1, five percent at mid-year and then another 10 percent at the move into 2011," Asbeck said, according to an excerpt of an interview to be published in weekly Focus-Money magazine.
Utilities are obliged to pay 43 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity produced for 20 years for systems installed in 2009. Companies including Solarworld have called for a faster reduction of subsidies in exchange for international environmental and quality standards in regulation.
According to Handelsblatt newspaper, the BSW association is set to make its proposal to policymakers at a January 13 meeting.
Germany is a world leader in green energy with a 15 percent share of all electricity produced and wants to double that to 30 percent by 2020.
Related News
Key Ontario power system staff may end up locked down at work sites due to COVID-19, operator says
TORONTO - A group of personnel key to keeping Ontario's electricity system functioning may end up locked down in their control centres due to the COVID-19 crisis, according to the head of the province's power operator.
But that has so far proven unnecessary with a change-up in routine, Independent Electricity System Operator CEO Peter Gregg said.
While about 90 per cent of staff were sent to work from home on March 13, another 48 control-room operators deemed essential are still going into work, Gregg said in an interview.
"We identified a smaller cohort of critical operations room staff that need to go in…
