The chairman of Enemalta has called for more government incentives to encourage the use of photovoltaic panels for clean energy production.

He was speaking at the inauguration of a €50,000 photovoltaic system at Hal Farrug, Luqa, where, he said, 30 years were needed to recover the capital outlay.

The current recovery period is based on what producers are paid to feed the power grid, and Mr Tranter said such tariffs would need to be tripled for the setting of photovoltaic panels to become attractive.

The new photovoltaic system is the third set up by Enemalta on its premises, following others in Qawra and Kappara and a wind turbine in Marfa.

The new system produces 9.7 KwP of energy, which is enough to power three to four households of four people each.

Mr Tranter said one of the outcomes of experiments being conducted by Enemalta was that photovoltaic systems should be complemented by wind turbines, because the turbines were at their peak in winter, when there was no sun, and vice versa.