According to EurObserv’ER, newly-connected capacity in the European Union amounted to 16,520 MWp in 2012, which is a 25% decrease compared to capacity additions on 2011 (22 GW). The slowdown can be linked to new taxes on renewable production or retroactive amendments to the support laws, such as those in the Czech Republic (retroactive tax on investments), Bulgaria (grid access tax), Greece (tax on already-installed and future systems), the Flanders region of Belgium (retroactive grid access tax) and Spain (tax on all electricity producers’ earnings).
At the end of 2012 the installed capacity to date in the European Union was 68,647 MWp, from 52 GW in 2011, which equates to 136.3 Wp of photovoltaic capacity per capita. Leading EU countries are Germany (399.5 Wp/inhab), Italy (269 Wp/inhab) and Belgium (240 kW/1000 inhab). Also Czech Republic, Greece and Bulgaria have a relatively high PV capacity per thousand inhabitants.
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