Germany will add over 5,000MW of photovoltaic solar power capacity in 2010, almost doubling the capacity installed in 2009 of 3,000MW, a senior German Government official has announced.

Environment Ministry solar energy department head Karin Freier told Reuters that a 16% cut in state subsidies will take effect from July.

“This year we’ll definitely have 5,000MW or maybe even more,” she told a Euroforum conference.

The cut in feed-in tariffs will make it harder for German firms to compete with Asian firms and another 11 to 13% in cuts is expected in January 2011.

Germany is the world’s photovoltaics leader with about 9,000MW installed at the end of 2009 and some 58,000 jobs created in the last decade.