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
Canada could be electric, connected and clean — if it chooses
TORONTO - So, how do we get there?
We're already on our way.
The final weeks of 2016 delivered some progress, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and premiers of 11 of the 13 provinces and territories negotiated a new national climate plan. The deal is a game changer. It marks the moment that Canada stopped arguing about whether to tackle climate change and started figuring out how we're going to get there.
We can each be part of the solution by reducing the amount of energy we use, making sure our homes and workplaces are well insulated and choosing energy…
