Germany
's
Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said Thursday that the government doesn't
plan to further reduce subsidies for photovoltaic solar energy facilities, such
as rooftop installations.
"At present there are no concrete plans to further reduce [subsidies] in
the solar energy segment," Roettgen said on the sidelines of an press
conference in
Frankfurt
.
He also said that the recently-amended renewables energies law--which regulates
how much financial support alternative energy sources receive--only took effect
Aug. 1.
"We have no intention to adjust the law on a quarterly basis,"
Roettgen said.
His comments come after Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier this week indicated
that the government may further reduce solar subsidies to contain the rapid
expansion of solar power production facilities.
Solar energy subsidies in
Germany
are
reduced by a base rate of 9% each year. This base is complemented by variable
cuts--a further three-to-fifteen percentage points--depending on the how much
new generation capacity is installed.
Germany
promotes photovoltaic solar energy facilities through feed-in rates that guarantee
minimum prices for the electricity they generate. Effectively, electricity
consumers are paying for subsidizing renewable energies.