[jjotto]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/26/us-climate-germany-solar-idUSBRE84P0FI20120526

...The incentives through the state-mandated “feed-in-tariff” (FIT) are not without controversy, however. The FIT is the lifeblood for the industry until photovoltaic prices fall further to levels similar for conventional power production.

Utilities and consumer groups have complained the FIT for solar power adds about 2 cents per kilowatt/hour on top of electricity prices in Germany that are already among the highest in the world with consumers paying about 23 cents per kw/h.

German consumers pay about 4 billion euros ($5 billion) per year on top of their electricity bills for solar power, according to a 2012 report by the Environment Ministry.

Critics also complain growing levels of solar power make the national grid less stable due to fluctuations in output...

[OKRA2012]

There you may have a good argument against solar power.

But, to claim that Germany has a great deal more sun than the US is asinine.

[kenavi]

A U.S. based solar manufacturer tells me that Germany is cutting substantially the subsidies.

"Springtime for Chermany, Winter fur der rest ov de vurld."

[VeniVidiVici]

...The incentives through the state-mandated “feed-in-tariff” (FIT) are not without controversy, however. The FIT is the lifeblood for the industry until photovoltaic prices fall further to levels similar for conventional power production.

Germany just ended the FIT for projects larger than 10MW. Projects larger than that must find a buyer for their energy before they build and they must freely negotiate the price of that energy with the buyer.

These solar plants in Germany must produce next to nothing in the winter time. It is pretty overcast much of the time.