Jul 17, 2006, 16:17 GMT
Prague - The first, commercial solar energy plant in the Czech Republic started supplying electricity to the national grid under sunny skies Monday.
'We are connected to the net,' declared Vladimir Mlecka, project manager for the solar-panel facility near Opatov, in the country's east-central farming region.
The HiTechMedia photovoltaic plant will provide annually about 60 megawatts of power, enough for about 20 homes, and is the forerunner of another company plant that's 10 times larger and should be completed by the end of the year.
Solar energy became commercially viable in the Czech Republic as a result of renewable energy law and subsidy system that took effect January 1, Mlecka said. The law is designed to encourage solar power by making it possible to get a return on investment in 10 years, he said.
Despite the government incentives, Mlecka said his company's project suffered costly delays due to bureaucracy at the state-run power company CEZ, which controls the grid to which the solar plant is connected.
'We are pleased we were able to persuade CEZ company staff to put the power station into operation,' he said.
But delays cost the company several months time and 'heavy financial losses,' Mlecka said.
Mlecka predicted a growing Czech market for solar power, but said the country is still 'not as attractive for investors as Germany or Spain.'
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