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S.A.G. Solarstrom, a Germany-based developer of photovoltaic plants, has announced that in the month of August it successfully connected seven PV rooftop projects in Italy, generating a total output of 3.6MWp.
The rooftop systems were installed in northern Italy and vary in size between 300 kWp and 999 kWp. Furthermore, the systems qualify for Italy’s Conto Energia IV feed-in tariff which offers an average rate of €0.23.
The projects in Rivarolo del Re ed Uniti (953.28 kWp), San Severino Marche (291.12 kWp, 388.8 kWp, 354.48 kWp, 293.75 kWp and 360.91 kWp) as well as Castelverde (999.2 kWp) will receive an average feed-in tariff of €0.23. They will also receive an additional sales bonus of €0.08 per kWh.
More recently, the Conto Energia V was introduced on August 27, 2012. As a result of the introduction, all systems over 12 kWp must be entered in a solar register in order to receive a feed-in tariff as well as fulfill a long-list of criteria. The Conto Energia V had a subsidy budget of €700 million. However, more than €300 million has already been consumed, according to the official counter of the Italian Energy Authority for Renewable Energy GSE (Gestore Servizi Energetici).
The subsidy programme is expected to discontinue this year. The country’s current annual cost of PV is said to be at €6.17 billion. But once it hits the €6.70 billion cap, the Italian government is not expected to offer any further incentives for PV installations. With this in mind, Dr. Karl Kuhlmann, CEO of S.A.G. Solarstrom AG, explains, “As the Italian government is expected to discontinue the subsidy program this year, we will also concentrate increasingly on implementing photovoltaic projects without subsidized feed-in tariffs in Italy.”
Dr. Kuhlmann adds, 'This is a future market, which will only really come into full force once a lasting solution has been found for the banking and financial crisis, so that the financing activities of the banks in Southern Europe are restored. In addition, special projects will still be subsidized for a transition period under the Conto Energia IV.”
