Czech solar association calls for policies to support industry growth

The Czech solar market has been on the up in 2017, finally recovering from a major collapse in 2014 when a FIT program was shut down. Now as Czech Republic forms a new Government, the country’s solar association is calling on Parliament to provide the stability needed to ensure further growth in the solar sector.

Solarni Asociace has stated that it does not believe the election of entrepreneur Andrej Babiš will necessarily be damaging to solar’s prospects. But the election comes at a crucial time, and the right action is needed to ensure that the market continues to get back on its feet.

“What is important now is that the issue does not become politicized,” says association Chairman Jan Fousek. “Support for solar energy has stagnated since 2014 and the sector is only now starting to recover from a long period of investor uncertainty.”

Several new programs facilitating the Czech rooftop sector have appeared in 2017, including the Green Savings Program and additional funding for commercial rooftop PV. According to Solarni Asociace, there are likely to be around 1,000 new solar installations approved by the end of the year.

In spite of this, solar has continued to be attacked by politicians over alleged overcompensation inbetween 2009 and 2014, and measures for higher taxes and tightened controls have been discussed. “With these elections,” continues Fousek, “it is crucial to maintain policy coherence and ensure a stable environment for investments to thrive.”