2.2 million photovoltaic systems installed in Germany

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

Roof extension offers enormous living space potential

A great opportunity for more flats in Germany lies on the roofs: More than 1.5 million additional flats could be created by adding storeys to roofs. And in places where living space is already scarce and housing is expensive: in large cities, conurbations and university towns.

This is the conclusion of a study presented today in Berlin by the Technical University of Darmstadt and the Pestel Institute in Hanover. To ensure that this potential can be utilised quickly, the German government should create incentives and allow special depreciation for additional storeys, according to the scientists. The study assumes an average size of around 85 square metres of living space for flats that can be built as "on-top floors" on the roofs of existing residential buildings.

The study focuses on the housing reserves of apartment blocks built between 1950 and 1990. According to the study, an additional 1.12 million flats could be built in regions with a tight housing market simply by adding storeys to the roofs of around 580,000 of these post-war buildings. In addition, a further 420,000 flats could be built on buildings constructed before 1950. "The potential is enormous. And this is despite the fact that the study takes into account both the protection of historical monuments and the preservation of the cityscape when selecting the buildings that are eligible for a roof extension," says Prof Dr Karsten Tichelmann from TU Darmstadt.

The advantage of the extension is that no additional building land is needed. This also means that no new green spaces would be sealed. There would also be no need to build new infrastructure - no new roads, sewers or supply lines would be required. This means that the land and development costs are already two important points where savings can be made. With an extension, the energy requirement on the floor below could be reduced by up to half.

The press release, short and long versions of the study as well as the political demands of the associations can be found in the download area on the following website: www.impulse-fuer-den-wohnungsbau.de/...wohnraum-potential.html

Published 19 June 2020

Bundestag passes new building energy law

On 18 June 2020, the German Bundestag passed the Building Energy Act (GEG) in its third reading. With this law, the federal government is combining the existing requirements of the Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV), the Renewable Energies Heat Act (EEWärmeG) and the Energy Saving Act (EnEG). For the information programme Zukunft Altbau (Future of Old Buildings), which is supported by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment, the specifications of the new law are not ambitious enough. To bring climate-friendly building and renovation nationwide on the way is not possible in the future. "The legislator has missed it to introduce more demanding standards," says Frank Hettler of Zukunft Altbau. "For a sustainable building stock in Germany, however, these are urgently needed to achieve the climate targets." The GEG will now be forwarded to the Bundesrat, which, however, does not require approval, and is expected to come into force by the end of the year.

The Building Energy Act brings together the previously inconsistent specifications for energy requirements for existing buildings and new buildings as well as the use of renewable energies. "Unfortunately, the opportunity to simplify, reduce bureaucracy and take climate policy necessities into account is not being seized," criticises Hettler. "With the GEG, almost nothing changes for building owners. This is a problem: the climate policy goals of the federal government and the EU, as well as the Paris Climate Agreement of the UN, cannot be achieved in this way. The goals for the building sector defined by the federal government in the Climate Protection Plan 2050 will be missed with the legal requirements if those willing to renovate are guided by them."

Important course missed

If Germany wants to achieve the climate protection targets it has set itself, new buildings and refurbishments must be significantly better in terms of energy than the GEG requires. Otherwise, in addition to the necessary purchase of CO2 certificates and high compensation payments to more exemplary EU neighbouring countries, there is also the threat of decades of lock-in effects. After all, once insufficient insulation thicknesses have been installed, they can no longer be improved economically. Buildings constructed or refurbished in accordance with legal requirements would therefore have to be refurbished again at a disproportionately early stage in order to meet future standards and climate protection requirements. If, on the other hand, they are not refurbished, this means high long-term expenses for the owners in the form of energy costs and CO2 pricing.

In accordance with European law, the next review of the GEG will not take place until 2023, when the energy standards for residential and non-residential buildings are to be further developed. In plain language, this is a further delay of several years. These long, unused periods of time, combined with the minimum standards that have been set too low - especially for renovations - are far from adequate for the building sector to make an appropriate contribution to averting the climate crisis.

Better promotion provides important support

Building owners should therefore not only adhere to the GEG specifications, but also tackle new construction and renovation with an eye to the future, recommends Hettler. The financial subsidies that have been greatly improved since this year, for example from the KfW development bank, are helpful in this respect. As a rule, they compensate for the additional costs incurred for construction measures on the building envelope. Since the beginning of the year, the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) has been awarding extensive financial subsidies for the replacement of heating systems - especially existing oil heating systems - if renewable energies are used and legal standards are exceeded.

Conclusion: Those who rely on ambitious, individually tailored energy concepts will save money in the long run - and also protect the climate, advises Hettler. In accordance with this requirement, it is advisable to use at least the KfW Efficiency House Standard (EH) 40 as a basis for new buildings and at least EH 55 as a standard for extensive renovations. To simplify the integration of local renewable energy sources such as geothermal or solar thermal energy, it is also advisable to switch to low-temperature heating systems - provided there are no restrictions such as listed buildings.

Neutral information to questions approximately around the energetic reorganization gives it also free of charge at the consulting telephone of future old building under 08000 12 33 33 (Monday to Friday from 9 to 13 o'clock) or by E-Mail to consultingphone(at)zukunftaltbau.de.

Up-to-date information on the energy-efficient refurbishment of residential buildings is also available at
www.zukunftaltbau.de

Background
Zukunft Altbau provides neutral information to home and building owners about the benefits of energy-efficient renovation and promotes qualified and holistic building energy advice. The information programme, which is funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Management, provides neutral, interdisciplinary and free advice. Zukunft Altbau is based in Stuttgart and is implemented by KEA Klimaschutz- und Energieagentur Baden-Württemberg.

Keywords:
Stock, DE-News, Quarters, Settlements, Environmental policy, Housing, Housing policy