Sommaruga in the Clinch with the solar industry

a New impetus for the energy strategy 2050: the left-green camp, since the SP Federal councillor Simonetta Sommaruga the environment Department (Uvek) Doris Leuthard (CVP) has taken over hopes. Now, however, disillusionment sets in: the owners of small PV installations should receive in the future from the Federal government less subsidies – those circles so that today contribute most to the Expansion of the solar energy . "The reduction comes at the wrong time", says David Stickelberger, managing Director of Swissolar. The constellation is delicate: The industry Association is chaired by Roger Nordmann. On the written questions outlined in the Plan of his party colleague, SP national Council has not responded.

Sommaruga of the most important pillars for the solar support system: the one-off financial injection for when buying a plant. The money comes from the electricity consumers. Per kilowatt hour you pay 2,3 centimes, and with Finance so various areas of the energy strategy, which has upheld the voting public; in addition to the Expansion of solar energy, the remediation of Waters, or the market premium for the Large-scale hydropower.

These one-time payments to by 1. April 2020 for small installations (up to 30 kilowatts of power) to decline, from 340 to 300 francs per Kilowatt. This shows the planned Revision, which has sent Sommaruga recently in the consultation process. Since it is a Change at the Ordinance level, will be able to find the Federal Council self-directed about it.

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What causes the shift? In the case of a system of 30 kW today, there are 30 times for 340 Swiss francs, 10'200 Swiss francs. It would still be 9000 francs, the investment cost of 48'000 to 60'000 Swiss francs. Equal to the Basic sum of 1400 francs per plant is to remain.

The Detec justified the lowering of the "dynamics of the market". In the Segment of up to 30 kilowatts of power, significantly more plants would be built in the Segment. Detec wants to support with the planned measure to the Expansion of larger plants, and more create a competition and, not least, the conveyor system simplify.

From a declining amount of contributions were affected in the last few years, all categories of solar installations; this is because solar panels have become cheaper and, therefore, the production of solar power. Swissolar does not deny this development. However, the cost of the solar modules in the total price less and less of a role, but today, only about 45 percent, such as the Association calculates that. Always relevant, the costs of Bureaucracy, which are independent of the Size of the plant and tends to increase would. For small plants, in this case extra effort disproportionate to the weight.

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as Long as this Problem is not solved, Swissolar, a lowering of the once remuneration is not out of the question. There is a need for more incentives for investors the tremendous potential of the PV used in buildings, managing Director of Stickelberger. Sommarugas Plan to give investors a "false Signal".

in fact, it gives air to the top: a new study by the Swiss Federal office of energy (sfoe) estimated the solar potential alone, on Swiss buildings to 67 terawatt-hours of electricity per year, equivalent to approximately 110 per cent of the electricity consumption of Switzerland. Today, the solar is for electricity production only towards the 2 terawatt hours. The study is politically relevant: Switzerland wants to phase out nuclear power and also in the medium term, fossil energy without. In this realignment, the solar energy is likely to play a decisive Part, if Switzerland does not want to rely primarily on electricity imports.

FDP-praise for Sommaruga

So critical to the solar industry Sommarugas Plan provides: In the camp of the Bourgeois, the SP Federal councillor receives praise. It is true that the compensation rates can be lowered over the conveyor system, such as politically decided, but the General Tenor. For the one-off payments this 2030 is not the case. "The claws on these subsidies testifies to the fact that yields at the expense of the electricity consumer rather than the Expansion of production," says Christian. The FDP national Council hopes that Sommaruga will lead your course.

the left-green circles, however, are calling the funding system must continue to run as long as no Alternatives were effective. National councillor Bastien Girod (Green) think about rates for solar power. Girod wants from Sommaruga "more Initiative".

Otherwise, it sounds in the GLP. He was not disappointed by Sommaruga, says national councillor Martin Bäumle. You do only what the legislators demand: the compensation rates reduce with a strict lowering path. Add to this: the lower the remuneration rates, the more assets could benefit from up to the end of the conveyor system. Thus, Bäumle, would probably get the more efficient and larger plants, the preference – with the result that more solar produced electricity with the same funding.

Stickelberger of Swissolar says that the energy transition must be carried by single family home owners to industrial companies. "It would be a shame not to take in favor of large installations, a market decline for small systems."

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 02.05.2019, 21:25 PM