The Swedish Government recently announced that it would allocate around 170m SEK (approx. 16m euros) to install solar energy. It was reported that the initial allocation was around 200m SEK (approximately US$24 million) in the spring 2018 budget.
It is observed that many individuals have applied for state support for the installation of solar panels, which is attributed to high popularity. The total amount budgeted for solar conversion in 2018, which is the proposed increase in government spending, would result in around 1.1 billion kronor (approximately 100 million euros). The proposal was set forth by the coalition partners the Social Democrats and Green Party, and the parliamentary ally the Left Party.
Sweden’s Deputy Finance Minister, Per Bolund, said that they were now seeing waiting times drop and wanted them to continue falling. He added that they were looking at giving more resources to county authorities. Bolund said that it was clear that many people wanted to make an active effort to switch to 100% renewable electricity. And, that solar energy could play an increasingly important role in a future sustainable energy system.
The commitment to supporting solar power systems by the government was criticized by the Centre Party, as it wanted to replace current arrangements with a green tax subsidy. Bolund reiterated that such a measure would put the continued growth in solar energy at risk. The state support for installing solar panels could be applied to public organizations, private individuals, and companies in Sweden. According to sources, the amount of financial support was calculated based on costs eligible for the scheme and could reach around 30% of eligible costs.
