Austria’s Photovoltaic Development Rapidly Expanding
According to the Austrian newspaper Standardon October 12th, the renewable energy industry in Austria continues to expand, with the photovoltaic (PV) scale continuously expanding, while wind power has declined slightly.
In recent years, Austria has made significant progress in the development of renewable energy. In 2017, renewable energy accounted for 33.5% of the country's gross electricity consumption, including 8.3% from hydropower, 9.4% from photovoltaic power, 12.9% from wind power and 3.9% from biomass. Among them, PV has the fastest growth rate.
The Austrian government is actively promoting the development of PV. In July 2018, a new subsidy policy for rooftop solar power was introduced, with the subsidy amounting to 30% of the investment cost, up to a maximum of 5,000 euros ($5,821). The policy has attracted many households and enterprises to install PV systems. As a result, the total PV installed capacity in Austria reached 1,214 MW at the end of 2018, exceeding the wind power capacity of 1,118 MW.
In addition, the Austrian government also introduced a new renewable energy expansion plan in April 2018, which set a target of increasing the share of renewable energy in gross energy consumption to 45% by 2030. This ambitious target will further promote the development of PV in Austria.
It is worth noting that the decline in wind power may be due to the lack of new projects and the difficult financing of large-scale wind farms. However, this does not affect the overall development of renewable energy in Austria. On the contrary, the rapid expansion of PV can provide a reliable and clean energy source for Austria and contribute to the global fight against climate change.
In summary, the expansion of PV in Austria reflects the country's strong commitment to renewable energy and sustainable development. It also shows that with the right policies and measures, PV can rapidly develop and become a significant part of the energy mix. With the continuous progress in technology and more favorable policies, we can expect that the photovoltaic industry in Austria will flourish even further in the future.