After one month off

PV storage funding was a drop in the ocean

Anyone wishing to retrofit their PV system with an electricity storage system does not currently receive any funding for this.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Stock Adobe,)

At the Energy Saving Fair in Wels at the beginning of March, Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) announced a subsidy for retrofitting PV systems with an electricity storage system. This was actually launched on April 10 - and expired again on May 3 because the budget had been exhausted.

Due to falling feed-in tariffs for solar power, retrofitting photovoltaic systems with a storage system is very popular - a rather costly affair for which there are no (or no longer) any subsidies. Only those who were quick in April had the opportunity to get financial support from the federal government.

35 million euros were gone quickly
As reported, Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler announced the start of the funding on April 10 at the Wels Energy Saving Fair - with retroactive effect from January 1. Gewessler's ministry made 35 million euros available for this purpose. And it was gone in a flash.

"The budget was far too low and was already exhausted on May 3," complains Markus Achleitner (ÖVP), the provincial energy councillor. Since then, support in the form of VAT exemption has only been available for solar energy storage systems that are installed directly with a new PV system. Large storage systems with more than 50 kWh are also subsidized.

"Re-launching" the subsidy
The broad application of small storage systems plays a particularly important role," says Achleitner. He appealed to the minister to "relaunch the funding for retrofitting and this time provide it with sufficient federal funding".

He also wants to lobby for this at the conference of state energy officers next Thursday and Friday and "join forces" with his counterparts in this regard.