The budget for solar PV in Austria has been increased from €2.1 million to €8 million through the Green Electricity Act 2012.
The Austrian PV Association states that 230MWp was installed last year, which is double the installed capacity compared to 2011. The cumulative installed capacity in Austria at the end of 2012 was 420MWp.
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The Association believes that by the end of 2013, nearly 400GWh of electricity will have been generated meeting 0.6% of Austria’s electricity needs by solar power. It also claims that the PV sector in Austria employs 6,000 jobs.
Incentives granted in 2012 have led to a PV capacity increase of 200MW for systems over 5 kW, said the Association. Another 30MW of PV systems up to 5kW were installed during the past year.
Furthermore, in September, the Austrian government had doubled its renewables budget to €50 million for 2013, set to decrease by €1 million annually.
However, the Austrian PV Association also notes discrepancies in the pledged funding. It states that between 2008 and 2011, €112.5 million was offered by the government, but only €75 million has been paid.