TPT May 2014

Global Marketplace

27 January, adding that 81 per cent of Spaniards favour a new energy model based on the use of renewable resources. Mr Pekic wrote that, in addition to promoting a new green energy policy for Spain, ANPIER also wants the government to respect prior commitments made to 55,000 families that generate electricity via small photovoltaic systems. In a 24 January statement the association asserted, “These families invested their savings and mortgaged their homes for the development and production of photovoltaic solar energy that was promoted by Spanish authorities who considered installation of renewable energy capacity to be essential.” › Suzanne Daley of the New York Times supplied a reason for Spain’s abrupt U-turn on solar power. The country has a growing deficit – about $40bn – because it has never passed on the true cost of producing energy to its consumers. If it does not do something, that deficit will only grow faster, experts say. Ms Daley pointed out that Spain’s actions are being watched closely across Europe. Thousands of solar energy investors will doubtless face insolvency. The new charges for those using their own electricity could also have unintended consequences. These charges, Ms Daley wrote, “may set off a rush by owners of solar panels to find ways to sell or use their electricity without reliance on the national grid at all, further reducing its customer base.” (“Spain’s Solar Pullback Threatens Pocketbooks,” 5 January)

to apply a formula intended to yield a steady 7.5 per cent return on investment. The plan is unclear, industry observers say, and the formula seems likely to penalise those who paid more for their equipment, took out big loans, or are paying high interest rates. The government also intends to make solar power producers pay a charge on electricity they generate and use themselves, a measure that angry protesters have termed the “sun tax.” The Solar Power Union estimates that Spanish producers will take a cut in income of 30 per cent to 50 per cent. As reported by Vladimir Pekic in PV , a magazine for the photovoltaic industry, Spain’s National Association of Photovoltaic Energy Producers (ANPIER) is demanding that central authorities hold a national referendum about the chosen energy model for the country. The PV trade association mobilised the Spanish public for a series of anti-government demonstrations across the country in the spring, set to culminate in a large event in Madrid tentatively set for mid-May. (“Spanish Solar Industry Demands National Referendum on Energy Policy,” 3 February) “Although Spain has the highest renewable potential in the EU and an obsolete nuclear infrastructure, the government proposes to extend the life of [nuclear] installations, a move that will profit three private companies,” said ANPIER on

Dorothy Fabian, Features Editor (USA)

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