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Belgium solar group to call for PV feed-in tariff
A Belgium scheme offering a 15 to 40 percent tax write-off on renewable energy
equipment, begun on Jan. 1, will be ineffectual in stimulating a PV market,
says Stefan Dewallef, sales manager at the Belgium PV integrator Soltech.
Limited to about €500 ($538) per year per resident, the plan does little to
help PV sales.
A legislative move in December to phase out nuclear energy was not
linked to increasing renewables (see PI 1/2003, p. 8). Dewallef, who is also
president for PV at the Belgium solar energy industry group BELSOLAR, says the
country's fledgling PV market is in danger without additional help. So BELSOAR
is drafting an open letter to the government to request a feed-in tariff of
about €0.60 ($0.65) per kilowatt-hour, as well as low-interest loans. Dewallef
expects it to go out by the beginning of March. The letter will be sent by the
25 solar thermal and PV members of BELSOLAR to Belgium's national government
agencies, which determine tariffs, and to regional energy ministries, which are
responsible for renewable energy matters.»The problem is that they all have to
agree,"« says Dewallef. The timing of the letter is to beat»the rush before
elections« scheduled for May 18, he adds. A draft will also be sent to the
press»to help shake things up,« Dewallef adds.»We have tried to do it
diplomatically, but it didn't get anywhere."«
For the last three years, the Flemish region of the country has offered a 50
percent subsidy on installed PV costs, but this is capped at €1 million ($1.1
million) annually.»That means this year we had one month when we worked really
hard,"« Dewallef says,»and now we can go to bed."« A feed-in tariff would wake
up that market, he concludes.
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