The Upper House of the German Parliament (Bundesrat) has voted to reject the revised solar laws written by the Lower House (Bundestag) that would have made changes to Germany's feed-in tariff (FIT) for solar energy.
According to research firm Jefferies, the solar FIT rates are now at the same level as those for offshore wind energy. However, if the FIT rate for solar were to be increased significantly, it could create a big shift away from offshore wind, which currently receives a subsidy rate of 0.17 euros/kWh.
The Upper and Lower House will now go into arbitration. Although it is impossible ascertain the outcome at this early stage, the changes are likely to be an incremental positive improvement to the previous plan, Jefferies says.
