The Austrian government has announced a Made in Europe bonus scheme that's intended to provide targeted support to companies in Austria and Europe for using European-made products in new solar power plants. The Climate Protection Ministry (BMK) says this will strengthen the country's position in the solar PV industry of Europe and drive energy transition forward.
According to the local PV association Photovoltaic Austria (PV Austria), the support will be available to projects of 35 kW or higher capacity. It will apply to all components, from the PV module to the inverters to the substructure.
It will be made available as part of the Renewable Energy Expansion Act (EAG) from autumn to ensure long-term secure supply chains and job creation.
"As pioneers in the field of technology, Austrian companies are given enormous opportunities through this measure: In particular, companies in the fields of electronics, semiconductor technology, the glass and metalworking industry, digitization and software as well as innovative craft businesses can position themselves more strongly in this market," stated the ministry.
The bonus will amount to up to 20% of the funding, depending on the number of European components used. Applicants for funding will receive a top-up on their investment funding if they use a minimum proportion of such components in their systems.
According to the BMK, once the Council of Ministers approves this proposal, it will need a 2/3rd majority in the Parliament to come into force.
"Other parts of the world are taking measures to gain strategic advantages in the production of technologies relevant to decarbonization," said Austria's Labor and Economics Minister Martin Kocher. "Europe must not be naive. With the ' Made in Europe bonus' we are guaranteeing fair competition and enabling Austrian and European manufacturers to have a level playing field."
PV Austria welcomed the initiative from the Austrian government. Managing Director of PV Austria Vera Immitzer said, "This measure is an important sign for both the Austrian industry and the population that high quality from domestic production is promoted and the strong price pressure is thereby cushioned. The entire green tech industry benefits from this."
The Austrian plan comes close on the heels of the European Union (EU) clearing the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) under which the EU member states are required to strengthen solar PV manufacturing capacities to support a combined 30 GW annual capacity by 2030 (see NZIA To Be Published In Official Journal By 2024-End).