Feed-in Tariffs Responsible for Three-Quarters of World’s Solar PV (everywhere but US)

[jpak]

http://cleantechnica.com/2010/08/12/feed-in-tariffs-responsible-for-three-quarters-of-worlds-solar-pv/

The 144-page report is titled “A Policymaker’s Guide to Feed-in Tariff Policy Design” and is clearly the biggest study on feed-in tariffs conducted by any U.S. government agency.

One interesting finding from the report is that, counter to what many have assumed and argued, FIT programs facilitate competition in the market rather than discouraging it:

The NREL report also destroys many of the myths surrounding feed-in tariffs. One myth, for example, is that FIT policies discourage competition. On the contrary, says NREL, the scramble for market share under feed-in tariff polices in Germany, France, and Spain has driven increased private sector research and development, spurring innovation and technological cost reductions.

Another big finding is that FITs are responsible for 75% of all solar PV and 45% of all wind development worldwide.

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[Sanity Claws]

1. Can you explain what a feed-in tariff is?

I'm new to the subject and not familiar with that term.

[jpak]

2. Feed-in Tariffs pay entities (homeowners etc.) who build and install PV systems a premium price

for the power they produce (usually 20-40 cents per kwh).

In most countries, feed-in tariffs are reduced or sunseted in the out years.

They are designed to quickly ramp up PV deployment, which encourages manufacturers to make use of economies of scale to reduce PV panel prices - which they have done big time



and countries that have introduced FITs produced lotsa green jobs...

Renewable Energy Jobs Soar in Germany

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2008/04/renewable-energy-jobs-soar-in-germany-52089

Renewable energy jobs in Germany shot up to 249,300 in 2007, almost double the 160,500 green jobs in Germany in 2004.

According to revised government figures, as many as 400,000 people could be employed in the renewable energy industry in Germany by 2020. This is 100,000 more jobs than a previous study had predicted due to the boost that the country's economy and exports received as a result of massive investment in the renewable sector.

"The systematic expansion of renewable energy is not only good from the environmental and climate policy point of view but also for innovation, growth and employment in Germany" Sigmar Gabriel, the German Minister for Environment said.

New figures published on March 14, 2008 (Bruttobeschäftigung 2007 by Marlene Kratzat, Dietmar Edler, Marion Ottmüller and Ulrike Lehr) show that solar sector jobs are being added the fastest but that employment in all green energy segments has been growing rapidly.