German govt to rejig green power subsidies - paper
Date: 28-Jan-03
Country: GERMANY
In an advance copy of an article due to appear yesterday, the newspaper said that subsidies for wind farms at favourable coastal sites would be cut back, but that the deadline for operators of all offshore windmills to claim subsidiies would be extended to 2010 from 2006.
The extension gives the industry time to develop five megawatt wind turbines, the paper said.
In addition, measures would be taken to compensate for the end of subsidies to home owners who install solar panels on their roofs, and small biomass plants could get more money.
The newspaper said Environment Minister Juergen Trittin would present details on Tuesday, when he is due to address Germany's wind power and biogas industry associations.
Under Germany's March 2000 Renewable Energy Sources Act, electricity grid operators have to connect their networks to renewable energy plants and effectively subsidise them by purchasing supplies at favourable rates.