Now that the end of the world through man-made global warming has been postponed, the administrative measures to counter the rising price of electricity have begun picking momentum on a European level.
Wall Street Journal recently wrote about the measures adopted by the German and Spanish authorities to significantly cap the subsidies and other support programs for renewable energy, as the price of electricity is increasing for individual consumers.
The electoral nature of the measures taken by Germany is quite obvious, because the limitations will expire at the end of 2014. The Spanish Parliament has adopted a similar measure, by reducing subsidies, and this will lead to a drop in the prices of electricity by 600 - 800 million Euros/year. The Association of the producers of renewable energy in Spain considers that the authorities want to crush the sector through legislative amendments.
What the Spanish makers of renewable energy are forgetting is that an extraordinary privilege was granted to them, by law as well, even though it was disconnected from any economic reality. The Czech Republic, however, stands out through the drastic measures it needs to stop the undermining of the economy by the renewable energy. "The current situation surrounding the photovoltaic power stations is not healthy and is threatening the economy of the Czech Republic," Prime Minister Petr Necas recently said on national television.
"The share of solar power in the Czech Republic's GDP is the highest in the EU and we are beginning to realize that something is wrong," the leader of the Government in Prague went on to say, who also reminded of the increasing aggressiveness of interest groups in the sector.
Between 2009 and 2011, solar energy saw a boom in the Czech Republic, due to the generous subsidy schemes, aligned, of course, to the European legislation. @
