German govt agrees new measures to speed up solar expansion, scraps Made-in-Europe bonus

After months of wrangling, Germany's three-party coalition has agreed a long-disputed raft of measures to boost solar expansion in the country, reports newspaper Handelsblatt. The new measures, which are set to be voted on in parliament in the coming weeks, aim to remove red tape slowing solar expansion. They include increasing subsidies for solar with an output of more than 40 kilowatts by 1.5 cents per kilowatt hour, making it easier for photovoltaic electricity to be shared within apartment buildings and easing rules around the installation of small balcony solar systems. The solar package also brings in measures that would make more land available for solar parks by opening up poor farmland to ground-mounted systems, for instance, while at the same time protecting agricultural interests and boosting nature conservation, writes Handelsblatt.  

A "resilience bonus," which would have rewarded customers for buying European-made solar products, was missing from the final package. The bonus, which had been a key element for the Green Party, was intended to protect Europe's ailing domestic solar industry in the face of cheap competition from China. The bonus was dropped after strong opposition from the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), reported German media in March.