Recently I blogged about Ontario’s microFIT (feed-in-tariff) program.  As of 2009, feed-in tariff programs
have been implemented in over 60 jurisdictions around the world,
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Cyprus, the Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran,
Republic of Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Republic of Korea, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, some states in the US, and the UK as of April 1 of this year.

Germany’s 2000 Feed-in Law Act (“Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz“) appears to be the standard against which other countries feed-in-tariff programs are measured. This law established some basic principles of feed-in-tariff programs. 

• Guaranteed grid access.
• Power purchase prices are
  based on the cost of generation from different renewable energy sources.
• Power contracts are long term, typically 20 years, but sometimes longer.

A feed-in tariff typically obliges the local electric utility to buy renewable electricity from all eligible participants.  In Ontario typically renewable energy projects under 10 MW connect to the local distribution system.  Projects over 10 MW connect to the transmission system.

In 2008 an analysis by the European Commission compared different programs in the EU to increase renewable power generation.

• Quotas – used in seven EU States. Governments impose an obligation on consumers, suppliers or producers to source a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable energy.
• Tendering – used in three EU States.  A tender is announced for the provision of a certain amount of electricity from a specific renewable energy source, and the lowest bidder wins the contract.
• Feed-in tariffs and premiums – used in 18 EU States.  The premium payment is designed to encourage competition between power producers. in the electricity market.
• Tax exemptions or reductions – used in two EU States and used as supplementary in others.

The report concluded that “well-adapted feed in tariff regimes are generally the most efficient and effective support schemes for promoting renewable electricity.”

There is a very worthwhile blog Global Feed in Tariffs committed to monitoring feed-in-tariff programs worldwide.