Photovoltaics: Nine countries, nine regulations

The industry association Photovoltaic Austria denounces a “massive need for improvement in the approval requirements for PV systems”. “PV systems must be approved in the same way and easily throughout the country,” said managing director Vera Immitzer on Sunday. There are currently nine different regulations in nine federal states, from building regulations to nature conservation to electricity law.

The location should not determine how expensive it is. The Renewable Energy Expansion Acceleration Act announced a year and a half ago should provide a remedy. Otherwise, Austria will remain dependent on fossil energy.

While a PV system in Salzburg, for example, is always exempt from approval as long as it was installed by a specialist company, a PV system in Tyrol is notifiable from 50 kW and even requires approval from 250 kW. Another example according to PV Austria: While a PV system in Lower Austria is exempt from approval according to the building regulations, the same system 100 meters further across the state border in Burgenland requires approval from the mayor from 20 kW. This illustrates an “urgent need for action for a uniform regulation,” says Immitzer.