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New German Government Announces
100,000 Rooftop Photovoltaic Program
The newly formed German coalition government, comprised of the Social Democratic Party and the Green Party, have
moved very quickly to define and announce the largest solar photovoltaic deployment program in history, designed to support the installation of 100,000 photovoltaic systems on German rooftops in the next six years.
The program begins in 1999. Each year would see an increase in the rate of installation, with the total installed capacity amounting to 300MW. The program's financial incentives include the availability of a 10-year
zero-interest loan for the systems, with no payments due during the first two years, and waiving of the 10th year payments as well if the system is still operating to specifications. This in effect subsidizes
the cost of the program by 30-40%. An added feature of the program is that this financial support is available in addition to any local or state subsidies or loan programs, so the cost reduction to the
consumer can be even more depending on the regional support for photovoltaics available. |
