Discussion About Mid-Year Solar Feed-in Tariff Cuts Gathers Momentum

Solas Power News has learned that with massive solar expansion despite regular cuts of feed-in tariffs and rising electricity prices, the debate about further cuts is gathering momentum. However, information about an agreement between the Federal Government and the solar industry is still limited.

According to the news agency Reuters, the ministries involved and the solar industry agreed to bring forward the solar feed-in cuts due at the beginning of next year to July of this year. Cuts could be as high as 12%, depending on the expansion.

Referring to information from dpa, the internet site Verivox, a provider of electricity price comparisons, confirms that additional mid-year cuts of up to 12% are being discussed, but says a spokesperson of Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen (CDU) had pointed out that the details are still to be decided.

A number of papers reported that the solar industry association BSW Solar continues to be strictly opposed to a cap on solar expansion. Thomas Bareiß, energy spokesman of the Christian Democratic Party in the Bundestag, a fellow-party member of Minister Röttgen, has repeatedly called a cap the ultima ratio. At the beginning of the week, Minister Röttgen stressed in the newspaper Weser Kurier that solar feed-in tariffs should pave the way for a market introduction of solar power, but were not intended to become long-term subsidies.