Austria allocates $650 million for solar incentives in 2023

From pv magazine Germany

The figures are still not final, but there are indications that Austria installed more than 1 GW of solar in 2022.

Despite this growth, the Austrian federal government plans to further accelerate the expansion of photovoltaics with a record budget of €600 million ($650 million) in subsidies, according to PV Austria. In addition to the higher subsidies, the government plans to simplify approvals for PV systems.

Thus far, the authorities have included two funding tracks in the Renewable Energy Sources Expansion Act (EAG) – funds for rebates and market premiums. Now the government plans to quickly implement an additional program for PV projects. PV Austria said this “fast-track” funding scheme will include €268 million.

“This quick measure comes at exactly the right time. Projects that are in the drawers, but are unclear due to limited funding, should be able to be implemented quickly,” said Vera Immitzer, PV Austria's managing director.

However, the details of the funding program still need to be worked out by a special committee under the Ministry of Climate Protection. In addition, the government plans to develop the “Renewable Energy Expansion Acceleration Act” (EABG) to simplify the approval process.

The federal and state governments plans to closely cooperate on spatial planning. In the future, only one central office will process all permits throughout Austria. The law will likely be drafted in the coming weeks. However, PV Austria said it is still not entirely convinced that it will be successful.

“In addition to the federal government, the federal states and active spatial energy planning are needed for the expansion of renewables,” explained Immitzer. “The Renewables Expansion Acceleration Act can be a good basis for this – provided that everyone involved works together with commitment.”