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Italy is about to join the growing list of European countries cutting back subsidies to solar and wind energy, so reports the online Berlin TAZ.

A complete stop to solar energy and deep cuts in wind energy: Italy’s government passed a decree that could spell an abrupt end in the recently started renewable energy boom.”

This comes at the heels of a number of countries cutting back on solar subsidies throughout Europe – mainly due to their high costs to consumers and technical problems integrating these sources into the existing infrastructure.

Economics Minister Paolo Romani says that Italian citizens have had to pay 6 billion euros in subsidies so far. The solar subsidies were originally planned for the period from 2011 to 2013, but now will remain in effect only for systems installed before June 1, 2011. The law also stops solar plants with a capacity of over 1 MW from being built in the open countryside due to “landscape protection issues”.

Other countries like Spain have also implemented similar stops to the overly expensive renewable energy sources.

Italian subsidies had guaranteed operators of small-scale systems €0.47/kwh and large scale systems €0.34 /kwh for feeding the energy into the grid. Italy will also reduce subsidies paid to wind power. The leftist TAZ writes:

Here subsidies will be cut by 22%, and done so retroactively and thus apply to systems that are also in operation. This would deal a fatal blow. When the government redefines the subsidy rates whenever and however it feels, it makes reliable investment plans impossible.”

Good riddance to the eyesores that have only drained the pockets of consumers. More reading:

– Austerity – Pulling the plug on Europe’s green subsidies

– Germany cuts solar subsidies

– Danish wind-subsidies to be cut

– Spain cuts solar subsidies

– Dutch lose faith in windmills