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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 %.

Net nominal power of photovoltaic systems

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 %.

Turnover of companies with photovoltaics

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

Greens want "Efficiency House Nature+" funding programme
Published

Greens want "Efficient House Nature+" funding programme

In a motion, Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen has called for a stronger focus on building with wood and the use of wood products as insulating materials. There should also be a KfW standard that focuses on building with renewable building materials.

The parliamentary group proposes a model programme for ecological building materials with a volume of 20 million euros. In the KfW Bankengruppe's programmes for new construction and refurbishment, the use of carbon-storing building materials based on renewable raw materials should be given greater support, for example in the form of a KfW Bankengruppe "Efficient House Nature+" standard.

More info: www.enbausa.de/...gruene-wollen-foerderprogramm-effizienzhaus-nature-5662.html



Keywords:
Environmental policy

Published

Cabinet adopts key amendment to accelerate renewables expansion with Easter package

The Federal Cabinet today adopted the so-called Easter Package at the proposal of Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck. This is the largest amendment to energy policy legislation in decades. The Easter Package comprehensively amends various energy laws in order to accelerate and consistently drive forward the expansion of renewable energies.


Robert Habeck on this: "The Easter package is the accelerator for the expansion of renewable energies. We will almost double the share of renewable energies in gross electricity consumption within less than a decade. We are tripling the speed of renewable expansion - on water, on land and on the roof. In the future, renewable energies will be in the public interest and serve public security. This is crucial to increase the pace. Overall, with the Easter Package we are creating the conditions for Germany's energy security and energy sovereignty. At the same time, it lays the foundations for Germany to become climate neutral."

Habeck further explained: "The Easter Package is part of our agenda and has been worked on under high pressure over the past months. It has now taken on a double urgency in view of Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine, which is contrary to international law. On the one hand, the climate crisis is coming to a head. On the other hand, Russia's invasion shows how important it is to get out of fossil fuels and to consistently push ahead with the expansion of renewables. We are doing this courageously and consistently.

The Easter package adopted today by the Federal Cabinet will now be forwarded to the German Bundestag and will enter the parliamentary legislative process in a next step. It is an article law, which comprises the following individual laws on more than 500 pages:

  • the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG),
  • the Wind Energy at Sea Act (WindSeeG),
  • the Energy Industry Act (EnWG),
  • the Federal Requirements Plan Act (BBPlG),
  • The Transmission Grid Expansion Acceleration Act (NABEG)
  • other laws and ordinances in energy law.

What concrete measures does the Easter package contain?

  • At the heart of the package is the principle that the use of renewable energies is in the overriding public interest and serves public safety. The expansion of renewable energies on land and at sea is raised to a completely new level. By 2030, at least 80 percent of Germany's gross electricity consumption is to be sourced from renewables.
  • Extensive measures are being taken to promote the expansion of renewable energy. For example, new areas are being made available for the expansion of photovoltaics, the participation of municipalities in onshore wind and photovoltaics is being expanded, low-wind locations are being developed more intensively and the framework conditions for the expansion of photovoltaic roof systems are being improved.
  • In future, the expansion of offshore wind energy is to be based on two equal pillars. In addition to the tendering of areas that have already been pre-surveyed, areas that have not yet been pre-surveyed will also be tendered in future.
  • The expansion of renewable energies and the grids will be accelerated by removing obstacles and streamlining planning and approval procedures.
  • The federal requirement plan for the expansion of the transmission grids is being updated and new projects are being included so that the grids can keep pace with the expansion of renewable energies.
  • With the abolition of the EEGAt the same time, the regulations for self-consumption and the privileged treatment of industry are enormously simplified and a major contribution is made to reducing the bureaucracy of energy law.
  • The rights of end customers and the Federal Network Agency's supervisory options over energy suppliers are strengthened in order to protect electricity and gas consumers even better in the future.

An overview paper on the Easter Package and the draft laws can be found at here.



Keywords:
DE-News, Renewable, Funding, Climate protection, Tenant electricity, PV, PlusEnergy house/settlement, Solar thermal, Environmental policy

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