Network operators, energy suppliers and the photovoltaic industry are jointly pushing for a new E-Commerce Act (ElWG) and the “long overdue” expansion of the network infrastructure. “The PV expansion in Austria is reaching its limits,” warned Herbert Paierl, Chairman of the Federal Association of Photovoltaic Austria.
The background is the PV boom of the last two years. At peak times, the amounts of electricity produced cannot be transported away, transformer stations and substations reach their limits and PV system operators have to reduce their feed-in. The electricity industry warns that the modernization of the E-Commerce Act, which has been pending for over a year and a half, should not fall victim to “pre-election skirmishes”.
“We can’t afford to stand still”
The ÖVP-Green government is scheduled to be in office until autumn 2024, and the upcoming election campaign has already cast its shadow. However, network expansion should not fall victim to this. “We cannot afford to stand still on the path to the energy transition,” said Barbara Schmidt, Secretary General of Oesterreichs Energie, in the joint press release. APG board member Gerhard Christiner agreed: “We have to invest massively in high-performance networks, and we have to do it now.”
- more on the subject: Why you should only buy a PV system or a balcony power plant from January 2024
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