Austria launches EUR 55m funding call for small solar projects

This year's last funding call for small solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Austria with a budget of EUR 55 million (USD 58.2m) is already running following the successful closing of the third round.

The call opened on October 9 and applications for an investment subsidy for solar installations with an individual capacity of up to 1 MW can be submitted by October 23 on the website of the EAG Abwicklungstelle.

The table below gives details about the subsidies provided by OeMAG.

Three funding calls have already taken place this year. Austrian energy minister Leonore Gewessler described the third round that supported solar systems of up to 20 kW as an absolute success as all applications for private rooftop systems, which exceeded 22,000, were approved. The projects approved in the third call correspond to electricity production of around 230,000 MWh per year or the average consumption of almost 60,000 households.

Including the first two funding calls in 2023, the Alpine country has supported 140,000 solar projects of up to 1 MW this year.

Overall, the Austrian government provided a budget of a total of EUR 600 million to support solar deployment in 2023. However, the terms for next year are still unknown which drew criticism from industry association PV Austria.

"Without specific regulations, there is no planning security. The industry and customers urgently need information about the subsidy conditions for 2024," said the association's managing director Vera Immitzer.

Immitzer insists that the government should provide a EUR-600 million budget for 2024 again as the industry needs reliable framework conditions to develop projects efficiently.

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