FRANKFURT - German solar companies in industry association BSW are proposing to cut subsidies faster than planned, Solarworld Chief Executive Frank Asbeck told a German magazine.

So far, plans had called for a 10 percent reduction of feed-in tariffs -- incentives utilities are obliged to pay for power generated from renewable sources -- in early 2010 and another 10 percent a year later. BSW is now proposing to add a cut in mid-2010.

Some 10 percent on January 1, 5 percent at mid-year and then another 10 percent at the move into 2011, Asbeck said, according to an excerpt of an interview to be published in weekly Focus-Money magazine on Wednesday.

Utilities are obliged to pay 43 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity produced for 20 years for systems installed in 2009. Companies including Solarworld have called for a faster reduction of subsidies in exchange for international environmental and quality standards in regulation.

According to Handelsblatt newspaper, the BSW association is set to make its proposal to policymakers at a January 13 meeting.

Germany is a world leader in green energy with a 15 percent share of all electricity produced and wants to double that to 30 percent by 2020.

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