As part of the amendment to the Electricity Industry Act, the Austrian federal government is planning to charge fees for feeding solar power into the grid. This would also affect the approximately 30,000 operators of photovoltaic systems in Burgenland. Deputy Governor Anja Haider-Wallner (Greens) has now announced energetic resistance: »This is a penalty for the people who have invested in climate protection. Burgenland, with its high proportion of solar power, will be particularly burdened.«
The planned grid fees would mean »considerable additional costs« for system operators. »Those who contribute to the energy transition should be rewarded – not punished,« emphasizes Haider-Wallner. »What is particularly absurd is that the expansion of photovoltaics has – quite rightly – been subsidized by the state in recent years, only to take the money away from people again now.«
The Burgenland State Councillor for Energy and Climate Protection also rejects the planned peak capping for wind power and photovoltaics: »This measure also hits those who invest in climate protection.« As a result, plants could be shut down on a large scale when too much electricity is being produced.
Burgenland will not only express its criticism in its statement in the review process. »We will do everything we can to ensure that this law does not come into force,« announced Haider-Wallner. »The government must make clear improvements. Burgenland has driven forward the expansion of renewable energies enormously quickly. The whole of Austria is benefiting from this. Now we need fair rules that make the further expansion of renewable energies attractive. Unfortunately, the current draft has the opposite effect.«
© PHOTON
