By 2020, 10 per cent of Malta’s energy needs must come from renewable sources and, in this regard, plans are under way to meet this target. Resources Minister George Pullicino is optimistic that the renewable energy target will be achieved and possibly even exceeded by 2020 solely through domestic measures.
Of course, to do that, the major projects on the drawing board must move to the implementation stage, which, admittedly, does not depend only on Mr Pullicino. Other ministries, government departments and entities must also work hard towards that end. But that too will not be enough: the private sector and the public must assume ownership of the project.
When he spoke about the issue in Parliament a few weeks ago, Mr Pullicino explained that the measures being foreseen include substantial investment in wind energy, solar energy, biomass and also measures related to renewable energy used in transport.
When the minister made that declaration he must have been working hard to re-launch the solar energy subsidy scheme that had been frozen in view of allegations of abuse. This was done last week and the new scheme is even better than the previous one. This time, the subsidy, which covers half the cost of a photovoltaic system costing up to €6,000, is not on a first-come-first-served basis but is available to all those who apply between tomorrow and 1 p.m. on August 10.
What’s more, the government also announced last week a 362 per cent increase in the rate at which Enemata buys energy from these green sources. Households will get 25c for every unit of electricity they feed into the power grid, those in Gozo will enjoy positive discrimination and get 28c while commercial establishments will receive 20c. Enemalta used to pay 6c9 per unit for such energy although it charges a minimum of 16c1 for every unit of electricity it generates through its power stations.
This is certainly an incentive for those who have been toying with the idea of installing solar panels on the roof. Although not everyone agrees, it is claimed that the system would pay for itself over eight years.
The new scheme incorporates a number of safeguards not to make it open to the sort of abuse that allegedly accompanied the first launch and this should put people’s mind at rest that, this time, there would not be any hiccups.
Promoting solar energy, particularly for domestic water heating systems, is certainly an effective way to ease Malta’s dependence on fossil fuel to generate power. Given that this is, to use an old cliché, a sun-drenched island, there is certainly scope for PV panels on rooftops. Yet, last year there was a drop in the installation of such environment-friendly systems. While in 2008 plants with a generating capacity of 6,000Kw were installed on the island, the figure dropped to 5,500Kw last year.
According to a study published in Brussels, Malta last year had a total solar thermal capacity of 28,602Kw, amounting to 75Kw per capita when Cyprus was already producing 514,640Kw, or 650Kw per capita. Greece was producing 250Kw per capita and Germany, certainly not renowned for its sunny climate, produced 100Kw per capita.
The subsidy scheme announced last week can change that. It is now up to the public to give their share… and save money in the process.