The new solar legislation will become fully effective from from January 2011. It will be a really bad Christmas present to majority of solar investors in the Czech Republic. In fact the original FIT revenues generated by the investors will be largely and retroactively reduced. The investors who commissioned plants with an installed capacity over 30 kilowatts-peak in 2009 and 2010 will have to pay a retroactive solar tax. It will vary from 26 percent (FIT for sold power to grid operators) to 28 percent (so-called Green Bonus payments for electricity produced and consumed in the consumption place) and will be valid for three years (2011 2013).
The Czech president was aware of the fact that the solar tax would put the Czech Republic into troubles and risks related to solar arbitrages and legal disputes against the country. Just two weeks ago Klaus expressed his doubts in terms of the solar taxation. He was also worried that without the approval of the solar tax, the prices of electricity could be increased dramatically in 2011 for the final consumers.
For many Czech small and mid-sized investors it will have a detrimental effect on their solar investments. In many cases they will not be able to re-finance their loans. At the beginning of December 2010 (before Klaus ´s decision on the solar tax), members of the European Photovoltaics Industry Association (EPIA) protested against the solar tax to be introduced in the Czech Republic. EPIA has already refused the Czech Governments actions, stressing the retroactivity fundamentally changes the conditions guaranteed to the operators of solar power plants already on the grid in 2009 and 2010.
However, the letter of EPIA had no impact on Czech officials and politicians. The speaker of MPO (Ministry of Industry and Trade) responded to EPIAs letter claiming that they had to take such action in order to prevent electricity prices from rising next year, as a result of the solar boom. According to him, such legislative measures are in the public interest (protection against hook in the electricity prices) that has to be preferred (damaged solar investments).
Nevertheless, the reality is different as without any government intervention, the electricity prices would go up only by three to six percent, as a result of the solar boom. Based on the new price lists issued by the energy distribution companies E.ON and CEZ which have decreased the prices from 2011 so that the impact of PV is negligible (minor one). These companies have waged an intensive media campaign since February 2010 with a clear objective to scare the Czech public (deliberately to change their view) that prices will be increased by well over 20 percent only because of PV." By doing so, they have created a new PV ghost which is to blame for high prices of electricity.
It is strange that in 2006-2008 (where there were almost no PV plants in the country) the prices of electricity for households went up by 30%. Surprisingly nobody from Czech politicians or officials was looking for a solution for such dramatic price increase. Apparently it was also against the public interest but politicians were absolutely silent and neglected that. The reason is that it was in the interest of the state-owned utility CEZ monopoly producer of electricity in the country.
Many investors hope the European Commission will soon intervene against such actions of the Czech government against photovoltaics. This is their last chance that Czech politicians will change their opinion.Without the EU intervention, Czech Republic will be facing the biggest amount of international arbitrages resulting in the loss of rating.
The odds are high that lawyers will be very successful in the arbitrages since the new solar tax legislation is not in keeping with both EU and Czech Republics legislation.The oncoming solar arbitrages look like a time bomb which is ticking right now and is ready to explode at the beginning of 2011.The results of the arbitrages will impair the credibility of the Czech Republic (a decrease of its rating and amount of foreign direct investments) in the near future.Well, it seems to be a bitter consequnce of the Czech Republic's solar boom in recent years.
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