Tens of thousands of Austrians who harvest solar energy on rooftops, with high-tech garden fences and balcony power stations and feed them into the electricity grid are facing canceled contracts and reduced income from their excess energy: guaranteed minimum prices for electricity purchases have fallen, for example at Energie AG in Upper Austria, with 87 (!) percent. Many people therefore wonder: is photovoltaic solar energy still worth it?
It started with the Russian attack on Ukraine: high electricity prices caused a rush on the photovoltaic energy market, and roofs all over Austria were eagerly fitted with solar panels. The many systems now generate a significant surplus during the sunny hours, which many sell to energy suppliers under a feed-in contract.
At a time when electricity prices were skyrocketing, this was a lucrative business: some providers offered up to 50 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) when electricity prices were high. However, prices have now fallen so much that energy suppliers are becoming stingy when it comes to feed-in contracts. This is causing unrest – not only among those who have been laid off, but also among people who also produce their own electricity and want to sell surpluses. Krone+ shows whether return is profitable, where feeders get the best prices – and how you can use the generated electricity as efficiently as possible.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
