Climate protection and added value: Austria's future with solar energy!

Climate protection and added value: Austria's future with solar energy!

Österreich - The current situation on the solar market is tense, and Fronius, Elisabeth Engelbrechtsmüller-Strauß, makes it clear that the future federal government is required to ensure stability and predictability for photovoltaic systems. In an appeal to the government, she demands that the originally planned VAT exemption to be maintained by the end of 2025. This would allow PV installers and customers to act under predictable conditions. In addition, a new "Made-in-Europe bonus" is introduced, which should provide investment grants for plants from 100 kW from July 2025. "With this bonus, Austria could become a pioneer in Europe," emphasizes Engelbrechtsmüller-Strauß, which also wants to address the geopolitical risks in the field of photovoltaics and point out the need to avoid dependency on China, such as Oekonews.at reports.

The challenges of the solar industry cannot be overlooked, as Harald Schernleitner reports from Fronius. In 2024, the company had to react with massive personnel adjustments and a reduction of 1000 jobs, since the market development did not meet expectations. Storage reserves remained unused, while the demand decreased at the same time. Nevertheless, Schernleitner is optimistic and expects the inventory to normalize by the second quarter of 2025 and to return moderate growth in the market. "The political composition will not significantly influence the market development, since photovoltaics are now a set technology," said Schernleitner. However, it refers to the importance of funding and its impact on the investment speed. In particular, the deletion of sales tax exemption is considered a disadvantage for the industry, since it offered uncomplicated support for manufacturers and installers, such as pv-magazine.de reported.

Developments in the photovoltaic market

The topic of differentiation in competition must expressly point out Schernleitner. In order to survive in the hard market, well -thought -out strategies are necessary. The customer plays a central role in this: "We are now more focusing on a multi-channel sales concept that enables customers to buy directly from us or through their installer." In addition, Fronius plans several innovative products, including the new "Argeno" inverter with outstanding efficiency and its own "Fronius Reserva Battery", which is intended to minimize the electricity costs with AI. "In Europe, it is important that we maintain our production and not get into an oversupply," he adds, considering the recent challenges that many European manufacturers have mastered in the solar industry.