Earth Equity News

Germany to Add Record 8 GW of Solar Power in 2010. By Erik Kirschbaum, Reuters, 12/6/10. “Germany will add a record of some 8 gigawatt (GW) of photovoltaic capacity this year, widening its lead as the world's top solar power market… The surge in demand for photovoltaic systems would take Germany's total solar power capacity to between 17 and 18 GW -- five times greater than the next largest producer Spain with a total of 3.5 GW… Germany is the world's biggest market for photovoltaic, which turns sunlight into electricity. The industry boomed with the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) in 2000, that guarantees investors above-market fees for solar power for 20 years… ‘We've seen a bit of a cooling down in the second half after the FIT [feed-in tariff] was cut by an extra 16% on July 1,’ Carsten Koernig [Germany's BSW solar industry association] said. ‘But we're still confident the total added this year could be about 8 GW. The cuts in the FIT this year fueled demand.’ Utilities are obliged to pay higher rates per kilowatt hour of electricity produced for 20 years.”