The German Bundesrat is unlikely to pass cuts to solar incentives when they come up for a vote on Friday (June 4), so a mediation committee of the upper house of parliament would be required to resolve the matter, according to unnamed sources cited in a news report by Reuters.
The same sources said that if the parliamentary committee is called, the proposed cuts—including the controversial 16% reduction in feed-in tariffs for new rooftop PV installations--would not be able to take effect on July 1 as planned.
The reason for the impasse is reportedly tied to the reluctance to pass the measure expressed by representatives from the eastern German states, along with Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria in the west—the regions where much of the country’s solar industry is concentrated.
Reuters’ sources said that the cuts, which have been passed by the Bundestag lower house, could still be applied retroactively.
