Austria introduces “Made in Europe” solar subsidy bonus

June 11, 2024
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Vice-chancellor of Austria, Werner Kogler, said the subsidy is “the only way we can ensure that European production can hold its own against international competition.” Credit: SolarPower Europe

The Austrian government has introduced a “made in Europe” subsidy bonus for European photovoltaic components.

Vice-chancellor of Austria, Werner Kogler, said the subsidy is “the only way we can ensure that European production can hold its own against international competition”.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The subsidy bonus will be delivered under Austria’s Renewable Energy Expansion Act (EAG), the country’s main energy transition framework law. Applicants for EAG funding for solar installations will be able to subsidise any investment with up to 20% of its total value, depending on how many European components are used.

The Ministry of Climate Action and Energy said that projects must deploy a “mimumum proportion” of European-made components, but it did not specify what that proportion is or which components in a solar installation are included.

In a public statement, the Ministry said: “The Made in Europe bonus is intended to provide targeted support to companies in Austria and Europe: If products from Europe are installed in new solar power plants, there are higher subsidy rates.”

Vice-chancellor Kogler said: “Anyone who really wants to strengthen European environmental technologies must also provide the appropriate investment incentives. That is why the “Made in Europe” principle should be a key part of Austria’s funding culture. This is the only way we can ensure that European production can hold its own against international competition.”

Beyond the direct ingot-module solar supply chain, the Ministry of Climate Action and Energy suggested that the “Made in Europe” bonus could support other parts of solar supply: “companies in the fields of electronics, semiconductor technology, the glass and metalworking industry, digitisation and software.”

Labour and economics minister Martin Kocher added: “Other parts of the world are taking measures to gain strategic advantages in the production of technologies relevant to decarbonisation. Europe must not be naive. With the ‘Made in Europe bonus’ we are guaranteeing fair competition and enabling Austrian and European manufacturers to have a level playing field. We will continue to advocate for a fair, rules-based, multilateral world trade order at EU level.”

In April, the European Union and its member states announced a Solar Charter with a view to “supporting the competitiveness of the European PV manufacturing industry and promoting the creation of a market for high-quality products meeting high sustainability and resilience criteria”.

Concrete measures have been somewhat absent since the Charter’s announcement, though last last month the European Council passed a vote in favour of the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA), which will see it come into effect this month. The NZIA includes a number of measures designed to support Europe’s floundering renewable energy manufacturing base, including “non-price” criteria for solar tenders designed to give an advantage to ostensibly more sustainably and equitably produced European products.

25 November 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Large Scale Solar Central and Eastern Europe continues to be the place to leverage a network that has been made over more than 10 years, to build critical partnerships to develop solar projects throughout the region.
2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

October 23, 2025
The average price of a solar PPA signed in Europe in Q3 2025 fell below €35/MWh, reaching €34.25/MWh, according to LevelTen Energy.
October 23, 2025
Infrastructure investment firm Nuveen Infrastructure has secured US$171 million in financing for a 137MW solar PV plant in South Korea.
October 23, 2025
US solar manufacturer T1 Energy sold approximately 725MW of solar modules in Q3 2025, as it continues to expand US manufacturing capabilities.
October 23, 2025
Aviva Investors and Astatine have announced an €800 million (US$928 million) investment in renewable energy and decarbonisation solutions.
October 23, 2025
Spanish power electronics specialist Ingeteam has won a contract to supply inverters and control systems for European Energy Australia's 100MW Winton North solar-plus-storage project in northeast Victoria.
October 23, 2025
Powerlink Queensland is seeking federal approval to expand its existing 330kV Bulli Creek Substation in Southern Queensland to accommodate the grid connection of Genex Power's 775MW Bulli Creek solar PV power plant.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 10, 2026
Frankfurt, Germany