Solar energy helps speculators

Favored by lucrative government subsidies, the Czech market of photovoltaics is in full swing. Investors from around the world have clashed over whether to take advantage of this manna, little concerned about the ecological aspects.

A guaranteed investment at 100%, with an annual yield of 15%. A dream? No way! Thanks to these conditions that the Czech market of photovoltaics can attract investors from around the world. "Israel, Germany and the U.S. dominate the market," said Jaromir Rehàk, president of the Czech Photovoltaic Industry Association. French investors, directly supported by its government, is also installed in the Czech market.

Given the proliferation of speculative investments, the Czech government decided to reduce the price at which electricity companies are obliged to purchase energy for individuals and producers - more than double the value of electricity charged to customers. But the amendment that this low slow to be adopted by the Czech solar business remains today one of the most profitable in Europe. And this in spite of taking into account that the photovoltaic panels placed in the country are less efficient than the Spanish or the South of France, because there are fewer days of sunshine. And like France, Germany and Spain will soon have to download the purchase price of solar electricity, the Czech market should continue to be very advantageous.

"It's the ecology that motivates us, are the numbers"

Czech companies are essentially to ensure the construction of photovoltaic plants. Its leaders are not environmentalists, but financial managers: "I will not pretend that we are guided by ecological interests. We are particularly interested investors and we are just the numbers," admits Ondrej Valnicek, Global Solar society. However, the ecological sensitivity of governments is important for business because it is in itself a guarantee, at least in today's world, that the states will continue to support renewable energy. The photovoltaic business has also become a major provider of jobs in the Czech Republic. Indeed, the country is one of the most important suppliers of solar technology in the world.

Almost 2,000 people work for companies specialized in the production of photovoltaic panels. The research and development sector employs one hundred people and wholesalers of about 400. In total, it is considered that solar energy "employs" more than 4,000 people in the country. Martin is Director of Somar Schoot Solar, the Czech company that leads the photovoltaic sector: "The Spanish market, the second in Europe in terms of importance, has collapsed. The financial crisis put a brake on investment in major projects." But despite this, says it was convinced that the strong growth of solar energy has barely begun: "The European countries all have very ambitious objectives with respect to increasing renewable energy in the overall energy production."

Stealing solar panels is a new niche of activity

"Current developments in photovoltaics is absurd," he says Jiri Kveton, chairman of the Czech Energy Photovoltaics. Think of the enormous power, capable of generating annual profits of hundreds of millions of crowns, part of which comes from public funds and that have absolutely nothing to do with the original concern of preserving the environment. Not to mention the fact that some of these plants to be installed on old farmland, that small municipalities are quick to turn into "industrial zones" in order to sell them to investors interested in installing solar panels. Not only are the speculators who are interested in this: the thieves gained an enormous appetite for the panels, unscrew it from the rooftops, and even assaulting photovoltaic.

"In the past, situations happen very caricatured," says Zdenek N., manager of a security company that is dedicated to the sector since there is little protection for photovoltaic power plants: "The thief was introduced into a central support strips the aluminum panels solar panels and out leaving, he did not know could be of value. One more or less since the beginning of last year we went to have thefts of solar panels. "