Sweden increases 2018 solar budget by another $20 million

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The Swedish government announced it will allocate another 170 million SEK (around $20 million) in incentives for its solar rebate program for residential and commercial PV. It initially allocated around 200 million SEK (around US$24 million) in early March.

The additional funds are part of the country's spring amendment budget – an extension of the main autumn budget – which allows the government to review its annual spending each spring, to determine if economic, or other factors, require financial policy changes.

“It is clear that many people want to make an active effort to switch to 100% renewable electricity. It is a good thing. The climate can not wait and solar energy can play an increasingly important role in a future sustainable energy system,” said Sweden’s Deputy Finance Minister, Per Bolund.

The increase in funds, the government said, is aimed at reducing the long waiting list that is building up, due to the high interest of new prosumers. “It is important that there are no bottlenecks in the system. By strengthening the county boards, we shorten the waiting times for those who want to contribute and contribute to the green change,” Bolund continued.

Starting from January 1, 2018, the percentage of rebates covering the cost of buying and installing a PV system – granted to homeowners and businesses willing to go solar – has been raised from 20% to 30%.

Overall, the Swedish Energy Agency, Energimyndigheten, has allocated 1.4 billion SEK ($170 million) in the period between 2009 and 2017 through the program. Last year, funds were increased from an initial budget of 200 million SEK, to 400 million SEK.

Sweden reached an operational PV capacity of around 231 MW as of the end of December 2017, according to provisional statistics released by the Energimyndigheten.

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