2.2 million photovoltaic systems installed in Germany

Published 21 June 2022

Installed capacity in March 2022 at 58,400 megawatts - an increase of almost 10 % compared to the same month last year
Electricity feed-in from photovoltaics in Q1 2022 increased by 34.7 % compared to Q1 2021

WIESBADEN - More and more companies, but also private households, are using the sun's energy to generate electricity: In March 2022, 2.2 million photovoltaic systems with a total nominal output of 58 400 megawatts were installed on roofs and properties. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the number of systems thus increased by 10.1 % compared to the same month of the previous year, while the installed capacity rose by 9.7 % within a year. In January 2018, when the figure was first collected, there had been a good 1.7 million installations with a nominal capacity of 42,300 megawatts. Since then, the number of turbines has risen by just under 34.0 %, while installed capacity has increased by 38.3 %.

Photovoltaic systems were able to feed around 8.8 billion kilowatt hours of electricity from sunlight into the grid in the 1st quarter of 2022. This was 34.7 % more than in the 1st quarter of 2021, when photovoltaic systems had fed in 6.6 billion kilowatt hours. Compared to the 1st quarter of 2018, when 5.4 billion kilowatt hours were fed into the grid, the grid feed-in increased by 64.3 %.

The share of photovoltaics in total electricity generation has also increased: In Q1 2022, the share of photovoltaics was 6.3 % of total electricity generation in Germany. In the 1st quarter of the previous year, solar power still had a share of 4.7 %, in the 1st quarter of 2018 it had been 3.5 %.

Solar power is a source of income for a growing number of households

For many private households, solar power is not only a source of energy, but also a source of income. In 2020, about 1.4 million private households - that was 3.6 % of all private households - had income from feeding solar power into the grid. This was almost 30 % more than in 2014, the first year this figure was collected. The income of these households from electricity sales recently averaged 174 euros per month, about the same as in the previous year (177 euros). Compared to 2014 with 285 euros, the average income fell by 39 %. One reason for this decline is likely to be the falling feed-in tariff for newly installed photovoltaic systems under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). Currently, the remuneration is less than 7 cents per kilowatt hour.

Companies in Germany generated 3.5 billion euros with photovoltaics

The growing spread of photovoltaics is also reflected in the turnover figures of companies offering products and services for the use of solar energy. Thus, turnover with photovoltaic systems and components rose within five years from a good 2.5 billion euros in 2016 to a good 3.5 billion euros in 2020, an increase of 39 %.

Methodological notes:

The results on the income of private households are taken from the Current Economic Accounts (CCE). Households with a regular monthly net income of 18,000 euros or more are not included in the LWRs, as they do not participate in the survey or do so in too small numbers. In accordance with legal requirements, households of self-employed persons (tradesmen and self-employed farmers and freelancers) are not included in the LWR.

The data on turnover from the production of goods, technologies and services for the use of renewable energies come from the survey "Goods and Services for Environmental Protection", in which companies in the manufacturing and service sectors in Germany reported data on turnover and employees related to environmental protection.

Further information:

Data on the installed capacity of photovoltaic systems in the EU comparison can be found in our Internet article.
Further results on the income of private households can be found on the Topic page.

Source: PM of 21 June 2022 from destatis.de

Keywords: DE-News, Renewable, PV, PlusEnergy house/settlement

Published 24 January 2020

German Environmental Aid and German Tenants' Association present plan for socially acceptable and climate-friendly building policy

Climate protection and socially just construction and housing must be considered together - Legal regulations in the rental housing sector and state subsidy practice undermine climate goals in the building sector - Deutsche Umwelthilfe and Deutscher Mieterbund present 10-point immediate programme for socially acceptable design of energy modernisation in existing and new buildings - KfW subsidy practice must be subjected to a reality check - Social provisions must be supplemented by climate policy requirements

The German Environmental Aid (DUH) and the German Tenants' Association (DMB) criticise the lack of an overall concept by the Federal Government for climate protection and social compatibility in housing. The rent increase options available under current law make energy-efficient refurbishment unaffordable for many households. At present, individual federal states are attempting to curb rising rents through instruments such as milieu protection or rent caps. However, in many such initiatives, climate protection is clearly neglected or even prevented.

For climate protection in the building sector and socially just housing with affordable rents, the existing rented buildings must be renovated to make them more energy efficient and new buildings must be constructed that are compatible with the 2050 climate target. DUH and DMB therefore call for a fair distribution of costs between the state, tenants and landlords in the rented building stock. To this end, the organisations are presenting a joint 10-point immediate programme.

To this end Barbara MetzDeputy Federal Executive Director of DUH: "We need a clear political stance from the governing parties on the issue of building efficiency. This includes, first and foremost, the definition of target-compatible energy requirements of KfW Efficiency House 40 standard for new buildings and the KfW Efficiency House 55 standard for existing buildings. In addition, there must be an immediate halt to the installation of new oil-fired heating systems, as well as a ban on new gas heating systems from 2025. This creates predictability and orientation for industry and consumers. The current new subsidy for heating system replacement is also going in the wrong direction and will not change anything about the far too high energy consumption in the building sector; on the contrary, it will manifest fossil fuel structures in the heating sector for decades to come, because the subsidy programme will primarily encourage the switch to gas heating systems. In this way, the Federal Government is sabotaging the climate targets it has set itself. In recent years, the building sector has been criminally neglected by the responsible government politicians, which is why the subsidy sums now announced will not be enough to meet the challenges in the building sector. These must be significantly increased and provide the right incentives for climate-friendly building and renovation."

The Federal Government plans only just under 4 billion euros per year for climate protection in buildings for the coming years. DUH and DMB demand an increase in the annual funding budget. According to a study by DMB and the Federal Association of German Housing and Real Estate Companies, between 14 and 25 billion euros should be made available for this purpose. In addition to the increase in funding, only measures compatible with the KfW Efficiency House Standard 55 and, in individual cases, with KfW Efficiency House 70 should be promoted in the existing housing stock. Energy consultations must be introduced on an obligatory basis for quality assurance purposes and in order to inform prospective builders about modernisation methods for achieving climate-neutral buildings.

Especially for the rented building stock, public funding for ambitious efficiency standards must increase in order to distribute the costs more fairly. To this end Ulrich Ropertz, executive director of the DMB: "In order to achieve the climate protection targets, energy-efficient refurbishment of existing buildings is indispensable. In addition, without energy-efficient renovations, heating costs and thus housing will become noticeably more expensive. But we also need measures to protect tenants from rising housing costs due to refurbishment measures. A central measure in this respect is the reduction of the modernisation levy to a maximum of 4 percent.

At the same time, landlords must then be given additional incentives to continue carrying out energy-efficient refurbishment measures. Public subsidies must therefore be significantly increased and the current subsidy system must be restructured so that the subsidies flow directly to the landlord and benefit him. This will ultimately result in a redistribution of costs between tenants, landlords and the state according to the principle of the one-third model."

In its climate package, the German government announced that it would reduce the bureaucratic hurdles of public funding and create transparency. However, the "one-stop shop" announced by the federal government to make funding offers easier to find and access has been postponed until the election year 2021. In fact, since 2018, the funding conditions of KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau) have deteriorated significantly due to the elimination of free unscheduled repayment rights and shorter fixed-interest periods. This is also reflected in a decline in funding applications for energy-efficient construction and renovation. In addition, the KfW and the Landesbanken currently offer loans and grants at conditions that vary depending on the assigned purpose and funding programme - for example, energy-efficient construction or social housing - and can rarely be combined with each other.

„Here, the existing funding system hinders the compatibility of social housing and energy-efficient construction, in that those wishing to build have to choose between the goals. The subsidy programmes must become simpler and more flexible", Sync by honeybunny Bernhard Bihler, builder from southern Germany. "In order for it to make sense for me as a property owner to access the subsidies, I basically always have to have a choice between loans, grants or tax write-offs and be able to combine different subsidy programs with each other"Bihler continues.

In addition to funding, regulatory provisions must also be put to the test. For example, the provisions of the milieu protection do not permit energy refurbishments that exceed the current energy requirements of the applicable Energy Saving Ordinance. However, these are not compatible with the energy standards that are required for the

the 2050 climate target are necessary. In a concrete example in Berlin-Neukölln, an ambitious energy modernisation of a building under milieu protection is not permitted even though the landlord is willing to carry it out without any apportionment of the costs to the tenants.

To do this Paula Brandmeyer, Deputy Director of Energy and Climate Protection: "The examples from practice reveal the great need for reform in regulatory law and funding. It is absurd that obstacles are placed in the way of those homeowners who wish to act in an ecologically as well as socially conscious manner. Provisions such as the milieu protection have their justification, but they fall short and unilaterally address the problem of displacement - climate protection falls by the wayside. Instead, the challenges of affordable and socially just housing and climate protection in the building sector must be tackled together."

DUH and DMB therefore call for smart regulatory law, flanked by sufficient funding, which provides further incentives for renovation. To this end, the organisations propose dividing existing buildings into classes from A-F, depending on their energy quality. The earlier the owner carries out a measure and the worse the building class, the higher the subsidy.

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10-point immediate programme for socially acceptable energy refurbishment and more climate protection in buildings

Keywords:
Construction and operating costs, Stock, DE-News, Climate protection, Affordable housing, SDG 2030, Social / Culture, Environmental policy, Housing, Housing policy

Published 20 April 2022

Book Review Building for the Community in Vienna

Solidary, Participative, Pioneering

Isabella Marboe (ed.) Bauen für die Gemeinschaft in Wien Neue gemeinschaftliche Formen des Zusammenlebens. Edition Detail 2021, 144 pages, de/eng, Euro 39.90

Review by Roman Schaurhofer, Vienna

Overview

The book "Building for the Community in Vienna" was published in 2021 by Isabella Marboe at Verlag Detail. All texts were printed in German and English in the book. In addition to an interview conducted by Marboe with Ulrike Schartner and Alexander Hagner, Robert Temel has his say in an expert article.

All in all, the book deals with 20 building projects in the Austrian capital Vienna and offers insight into the respective planning as well as the organisational and structural realisation of those very communities.

Content

At the beginning, Isabella Marboe looks back at historically relevant and significant events surrounding Viennese housing, community in everyday life and housing, and participatory building. The editor then highlights the importance and significance of the architect Ottokar Uhl and his work. Especially the projects "Living with Children" and "B.R.O.T." are mentioned and described as positive examples. In addition, Marboe goes into more detail about the historical developments surrounding the "Sargfabrik" and "MISS Sargfabrik" projects. Isabella Marboe is committed to a communal and socially solidary as well as responsible coexistence.

In Robert Temel's contribution, after a historical classification of Austrian pioneer and follow-up projects, there is also a brief description of organisational and ownership models. This is followed by an outline of the emergence of building communities and their possibilities for acquiring a building plot, as well as a comparison of several models implemented in Vienna.

In an interview, Ulrike Schartner and Alexander Hagner from gaupenraub+/- explained the many challenges that arise when creating quality housing for homeless people and at the same time show approaches to dealing with problems of this kind.

After the essays and the interview, there is a more detailed examination of the individual projects. A brief description, accompanied by key figures and background information, provides insights into the planning and implementation of the respective community ideas. In addition, illustrations and detailed plans (often in the form of floor plans) give the reader a better understanding of the structure and function of the respective project. In addition to individual buildings, row houses, multi-storey residential buildings and neighbourhood houses that stand out from their surroundings were also selected.

Criticism

The social and socially solidary approach of the project examples stands out in a clearly positive way. Each of the projects features people-oriented planning and high-quality implementation geared to the wishes of the residents, without losing sight of the demand for high-quality architecture. Although the communal and participatory character is clearly in the foreground as a unifying element, the individual projects cannot be denied their uniqueness and individuality in approach.

The detailed information, underpinned by pictorial representations, enables the reader to place the projects conceptually and contextually in their respective environment. With the overview and detailed descriptions of the sample projects, the editor Isabella Marboe offers a solid basis with carefully researched project examples for professional discourse and a more intensive examination of the topic of building communities.

February 2021, Hardcover, 23 x 30 cm, German / English

Text samples or buy the book from the publisher:
www.detail.de/de_de/bauen-fuer-die-gemeinschaft-in-wien

Keywords:
Cohousing, DE-News, New books and studies, News Blog Austria, Vienna, Housing, Housing projects

Published 20 December 2015

EUROSOLAR: A late awakening in Paris: the renewable age has long since begun

On 12 December 2015, the parties to the climate negotiations in Paris agreed that global warming should be limited to a maximum of 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius. This was presented with such confidence that one could almost forget that the Earth's atmosphere does not have a thermostat. No one can guarantee that this target will be met, especially not on the basis of a resolution: the CO² concentration of 400 parts per million (ppm) is already significantly higher than the 280 ppm required for climate stability. Methane emissions released by permafrost melting and peatland destruction are adding to the flood of exhaust gases from coal, gas and oil. The goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius cannot be achieved without an actual and immediate reduction in emissions. However, the current pledges of the climate parties may allow for 2, 4 or even 5 degrees.

So much for the critical findings from Paris. On the positive side: this was the first COP in which renewable energies (RE) were given a clear and strong mandate. The initiatives, 100% RE movements and programmes of the developing countries for the use of renewable energies were finally given as much respect as the island states, which had previously only been heard marginally. However, not much else of significance was decided - if you want to look at it positively, it was a historic consensus of almost all nations, and an implicit consensus to initiate the expansion of renewable energies. Worldwide and already massive investments have only just begun and can now only intensify. Thousands of communities, banks, companies, foundations and millions of people have recognised this. The installed capacity of photovoltaics alone has increased fifty-fold in the last 10 years. The signal to the countries of the world, but also to Berlin and all other national decision-makers: the immediate, unrestricted switch to renewable energies must not be delayed any longer - the contracting parties must no longer slow down the movement towards the 100%-EE target. (*)

The 'miracle of Paris' is therefore, at best, the realisation that the time for climate negotiations is over and the time for national action has come.
The Paris Agreement can only be celebrated as an achievement of international diplomacy, process management and sustainability marketing. To leave everything else as it is would mean accepting it as a sham agreement. It would allow the nominally agreed targets to be confused with actual measures.

Fossil fuels are in no way specifically limited by the treaties. (**) Their influence is particularly evident in Germany, where the government has deformed the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) and thus curbed the energy transition. The expansion of solar and wind energy is now to be massively slowed down by a planned economy-style allocation system. Bioenergy and tens of thousands of jobs in the solar industry have already been sacrificed.

The transition to renewable energies is a local and regional process of innovation that must be facilitated by national legislation, but must essentially take place in a decentralised manner. The basis for this is a new energy market organisation that brings about the convergence of energy markets and ends the structural economic disadvantage of renewables. The clear message and admission from Paris is that no global climate agreement can replace the necessary country-specific and regional implementation of the energy transition. Our task therefore remains the demand for a global energy supply with 100% renewable energy, which is more important and urgent today than ever before.

Professor Peter Droege

President, EUROSOLAR

General Chairman, WCRE

*) The only reference to the central topic of energy only occurs in one place where reference is made to renewable energies - in connection with the 'need for universal access to sustainable energy supply in developing countries through renewable energies, especially in Africa.' However, the importance of promoting renewable energies through the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), which was pushed through by Hermann Scheer (EUROSOLAR, SPD), Hans-Josef Fell (Greens) and Hermann Fellner (CSU) in 2000 and which was modelled on similar laws in many other countries and led to the breakthrough of renewables, is not mentioned in the treaty documents.

**) On the contrary, the Paris Climate Agreement allows the fossil fuel economy to continue to exist until the end of the century, and even permits the further expansion of fossil fuel power plants. Dystopian high-risk technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) are firmly planned in some participating countries - even if they are not enshrined in the final document. Also firmly planned in many places - and even still in many 'scientific' minds - is a massive expansion of nuclear energy, including the dangers of accidents and the nuclear waste problems that cannot be solved responsibly. Even the aberrations of nuclear fusion supporters continue to be rewarded with growing budgets. The multinational nuclear, coal and oil companies have obviously exerted their influence on governments here.

Source: Eurosolar statement from 18 December 2015

Keywords:
DE-News, Renewable, Climate protection, News Blog France, Environmental policy

Net nominal power of photovoltaic systems

Turnover of companies with photovoltaics