Solar power, especially photovoltaic energy, received several hard blows from all sides in 2010. The freeze on issuing new permits, the senseless regulation on efficiency, the radical amendment to Act No. 180 on RES with the subsequent dramatic reduction in buyout prices and the worsening of conditions for loan financing are just a few of the most obvious steps undertaken by government institutions hand-in-hand with power companies, which are deliberately aimed against the further development of photovoltaic energy. A massive media campaign is currently underway against photovoltaic power (and against RES in general), which may be summed up in the emotional outcry that Photovoltaic Power (and RES in general) is unnecessary and expense.
Yet this sector is not giving up: investors are striving to finish building whatever they can, more and more projects for sale are appearing on the market, and the demand for panels and inverters still greatly exceeds the supply. The sector already employs several thousand people, and the Czech Republic is still in the searchlight of international corporations as one of the most promising countries. The millions and billions of crowns invested into photovoltaics to date are working, and thanks to them, newer and substantially cheaper technologies are being developed that will soon make the price of producing energy from the sun low enough to compete with thermal power plants – but without the smoky chimneys and massive scarring left by surface mines.
What will come next – in 2011 and 2012? We are not sure, but photovoltaic power will not cease to exist. Its growth will merely take on a new dynamic, or the situation may settle down and clear up. Perhaps photovoltaics will change from a scorned “gold-digger” to a valued player, a stabilising element and a welcome contribution to the energy balance of buildings.

We look forward to seeing you.

Soňa Miňovská, Conference Manager