Photovoltaics in Germany

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Installed PV capacity in Germany (1996-2019)

The photovoltaics in Germany has an increasingly greater weight in energy production. In 2019, the share of solar electricity in gross electricity consumption in Germany was 46.5  TWh , corresponding to 8.2%. The expansion of solar power generation through photovoltaics is state subsidized in Germany through the Renewable Energy Sources Act . As of 2019, the first projects such as the Weesow-Willmersdorf solar park will also be built entirely without funding.

Development, expansion and actual feed-in in Germany

From 2000 to 2011, the energy generated with photovoltaics increased from 0.064 TWh to approx. 19 TWh and thus around three hundred times. In 2018, PV systems in Germany produced 46.2 TWh of electrical energy. From 2009 to December 31, 2018, the installed capacity of photovoltaics in Germany more than quadrupled from 10.6 to 45.929 GW, with growth from 2013 becoming significantly lower as described above. In Germany, solar energy has contributed more than half to covering peak consumption on sunny spring and summer days at lunchtime since 2015, and even two thirds in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.

Around 7,400 MW were newly installed in 2010; In 2011 it was just under 7,500 MW.

Installed nominal photovoltaic capacity (cumulative) from 2005 to 2013 for Germany and the world

In 2012, the addition amounted to 8,300 MW (= 8.3 GW), which set a new record. Numerous investors accelerated their projects because they feared cuts by the federal government or because they wanted to secure the higher remuneration rates. Starting in 2013, the number of new photovoltaics installed fell sharply, with an average of only around 2.1 GW newly installed each year; on December 31, 2018, a total of 45,929 MWp was installed. As a result of sharp cuts in feed-in tariffs, the solar power market collapsed by 60% in 2013 and by approx. 45% in the first half of 2014, to only 1.9 GW in 2014 as a whole, which is below the expansion corridor of 2 .5 GW lies. In addition, an upper limit of a maximum of 52 GW of eligible solar power was introduced in 2012.

The calculated full load hours in the following table show how the use of solar energy can fluctuate due to the weather and are closely related to the duration of sunshine , i.e. H. with the number of hours of sunshine in a year. The average duration of sunshine in Germany is 1550 hours per year. The full load hours do not correspond to the on-time, but to a calculated value that results from the quotient between the normal working capacity and the peak power of the photovoltaic system. The actual duty cycle in which the system generates electricity corresponds to the times when the sun is above the horizon, i.e. approximately half of the annual hours, i.e. around 4400 hours, although the electricity production is sometimes only low - in bad weather, in the first hours after sunrise and in the last hours before sunset. Depending on the weather conditions and the location and orientation, an energy yield of around 600 to 1200 kWh can be expected per year per kW peak of installed capacity  .

Development of power generation in photovoltaics in Germany
year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Global radiation in Germany in watts / m² 119 121 119 139 123 125 127 125 124 126 123 126 125 119 123 127 123 123 138
Generation in T Wh / year 0.06 0.08 0.16 0.31 0.56 1.28 2.22 3.08 4.42 6.58 11.73 19.60 26.38 31.01 36.06 38.73 38.10 39.40 45.78
installed capacity in GW peak 0.11 0.18 0.30 0.44 1.11 2.06 2.90 4.17 6.12 10.57 18.01 25.92 34.08 36.71 37.90 39.22 40.68 42.34 45.28
Expansion in GW peak 0.04 0.06 0.12 0.14 0.67 0.95 0.84 1.27 1.95 4.45 7.44 7.91 8.16 2.63 1.19 1.32 1.45 1.66 2.94

Depending on the intensity of the sun's rays, the photovoltaic system reaches its peak at midday, while the amount of electricity fed in is significantly lower in the morning and evening hours. Most electricity in Germany is needed between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. The natural correspondence between the load profile of the electricity consumption and the temporal distribution of the photovoltaic feed-in reduces the need to start up peak load power plants. However, it is problematic for the power supply that in the autumn and winter months, when a lot of electricity is required for heating and lighting, the electricity yield of the PV systems is lowest (according to the Energy Charts of Fraunhofer ISE were in the years 2012-2019 in the months of January, November and December a total of 5.66 - 7.14% of the annual income achieved).

The daily updated calculation of the performance profile and the production data for electrical energy for Germany and Austria can be found on the Internet on the EEX transparency platform, broken down by type of generation and control area. For Germany, the measured photovoltaic data are reported from the four control areas and have also been available since the start of reporting on July 19, 2010. Current feed-in data (for Germany) for the years from 2011 onwards are freely accessible via energy charts. A calculation of the current performance profile of the photovoltaics installed in Germany with visualization according to postcode areas is available from an inverter manufacturer. The four transmission system operators in Germany have been using, among other things, the calculations of large operators of data portals for photovoltaic systems to plan the control power since 2010/2011 . Their calculations are based on yield and performance data of around 10% of the installed system capacity in Germany.

Electricity generation in Germany on May 25 and 26, 2012

On Friday, May 25, 2012 at 12:45 p.m., a capacity of 22.4 gigawatts was achieved across Germany, which means that photovoltaics accounted for around a third of the total electricity production at peak load times . This roughly corresponds to the output of 15 large nuclear power plants . Since February 2012, the feed-in power has covered a large part of the daily average and peak load relatively reliably . Conventional power plants almost only have to increase their output in the twilight phases. This is also noticeable in the significantly lower electricity prices on the electricity exchange. It is foreseeable that if new plants are built, the conventional power plants will have to reduce their output more and more around noon, which is particularly problematic in the case of sluggish power plants, especially nuclear power plants. In addition, the utilization of peak load power plants decreases, which can put their economic operation into question. In May 2012, according to BDEW, more than 4 billion kWh of solar power were generated, which means that around 10% of this month's power consumption was covered by solar power. From the measured data it can also be seen that in the summer half year the performance fluctuates nationwide between approx. 30 and 90% of the available capacity. In the winter half year the value is usually between 10 and 50%. At the moment (as of the end of 2018) there are around 1.7 million solar systems in the Federal Republic of Germany.

In June 2019, photovoltaics produced 7.2 TWh of electrical energy, making it the most important German power source for the first time in an entire month, ahead of lignite and wind energy.

In October 2019, the Federal Council voted to abolish the funding ceiling of 52 GW introduced in 2012, also known as the solar cap , and the Bundestag approved it in May 2020. At this point this limit was almost reached. Although already agreed in the coalition agreement in 2018, confirmed again in 2019 as part of the climate package and announced again in May 2020 after blockades by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which used the lid as a deposit for its wind energy policy , the actual abolition was still pending at the beginning of June 2020. Companies in the solar industry then filed a lawsuit with the Federal Constitutional Court . In mid-June 2020, the Bundestag finally decided to abolish the solar cap.

Area estimates

In 2010, the amount of electricity generated in Germany was 608.7 TWh. This corresponds to an average power requirement of 71 GW. Assuming that the energy can be stored both during the day and during the year without losses, a total of 690 GW p would have to be installed for a power supply exclusively with photovoltaics with an average yield of 900 full load hours (or kWh / kW p ) . The area required for this depends on the installation: On sloping roofs facing south, when using powerful modules per kW p, only an area of ​​less than 8 square meters per kW p (125 watt peak / m²) is necessary, whereas when using thin-film cells on open spaces Space requirement is around 30 square meters per kW p (33 watt peak / m²). This results in a required total area between 5,500 and 20,700 km². This corresponds to 1.5 to 5.7% of the total area of ​​Germany. For comparison:

  • In 2007 the settlement and traffic area occupied 46,789 km² or 13.4% of the land area of ​​Germany.
  • In 2011, energy crops were grown in Germany on an area of ​​22,800 km² (equivalent to 6.5% of Germany's land area).
  • According to Ecofys, more than 2,300 km² of roof and facade area (0.66% of Germany's land area) are suitable for use by PV systems.

A complete electricity supply through photovoltaics is not considered sensible for Germany due to the large seasonal fluctuations and the associated high storage requirements. A desirable contribution to a completely renewable electricity supply could be in the order of 200 GW p . This could cover almost 30% of Germany's electricity needs. This would then require less than 1% of the total area of ​​Germany or 50% of the suitable and not otherwise used areas. With an additional installation of around 8 GW p per year (compared to installation in 2010: 7.4 GW p and 2011: 7.5 GW p ), this proportion could be achieved by 2035.

Solar radiation in Germany (on a horizontal surface)

In the case of outdoor photovoltaic systems , around 80–100 kWh / m² annually based on the area of ​​a solar park, corresponding to 40–50 m², to generate the electrical energy for an average household (4 MWh / year). No additional space is required for systems on or on buildings and noise barriers.

In addition, there is a potential for 161 GW p solar power on roof areas , as the Technical University of Munich and Siemens calculated in 2010.

Obstacles to the expansion of photovoltaics

According to the research group for solar storage systems at HTW Berlin , the “pace of solar expansion in Germany” does not meet the requirements of climate protection .

The expansion of photovoltaics is being held back by various obstacles. 2019 at the Academy of Sciences in Berlin as part of the research project PV2City by the research group solar storage systems started with the collection of impediments to the expansion of photovoltaics.

Situation of the German solar industry

Due to cheap mass production in Asia and a massive drop in the price of photovoltaic modules, some German solar companies had to file for bankruptcy. Companies like Solar Millennium , Solarhybrid and Q-Cells are affected. Most recently, Bosch also announced its exit from the crystalline photovoltaics business area. From an ecological point of view, however, the drop in prices is to be assessed positively, as photovoltaics have become drastically cheaper and therefore financially affordable within a few years.

The trade dispute between European, American and Chinese manufacturers came to a head in 2012. The EU Commission initiated anti-dumping proceedings against China. In May 2013, the EU Commission imposed punitive tariffs on China, as this country is selling below production costs thanks to enormous government subsidies. The US imposed punitive tariffs of 18 to 250 percent in late 2012 due to similar trade disputes. Green politicians like Hans-Josef Fell warned against sealing off the European markets with punitive tariffs, despite China's unfair competition policy. The vast majority of jobs in the solar industry are in the areas of project planners and installers, who are local and in fact cannot be imported from China. Instead, fair market access should be secured in the Asian market. A study by Prognos assumes that punitive tariffs could endanger up to 240,000 jobs in Germany. In September 2018, the anti-dumping duties against Chinese manufacturers were lifted by the EU. This caused the prices for solar cells to fall further. The anti-dumping tariff was intended to protect European solar cell manufacturers, but it probably only delayed their death and damaged the energy transition.

labour market

In 2011, the black and yellow government lowered the feed-in tariff for solar power in Germany so much that solar energy became unattractive. This led to a severe market slump. The new installations fell to a quarter of the previous value, whereupon the German solar industry shrank massively and a large part of the solar industry became insolvent. While there were around 350 solar cell manufacturers in Germany in 2011, there were only a few dozen in 2019. At the same time, a large part of the workforce was laid off; From 2011 to 2017, the number of employees in the solar industry fell from 156,700 in 2011 to 42,800 in 2017. In mid-2020 there were around 31,000 photovoltaic jobs in Germany. Volker Quaschning sees the decline in the politically unwanted rapid expansion of renewable energies. Therefore, the photovoltaic expansion between 2012 and 2016 was throttled from 7.6 GW in 2012 to 1.5 GW, which resulted in the loss of around 80,000 jobs in the German photovoltaic industry.

Installed capacity in the federal states

The table shows the installed nominal electrical power in 2018:

country Residents Area in km² installed capacity in MW
Coat of arms of Baden-Württemberg (lesser) .svg Baden-Württemberg 11,069,533 35,751.46 5,819
Bavaria Wappen.svg Bavaria 13,076,721 70,551.57 12,545
Coat of arms of Berlin.svg Berlin 3,644,826 891.85 106
Brandenburg Wappen.svg Brandenburg 2,511,917 29,478.61 3,703
Bremen coat of arms (middle) .svg Bremen 682.986 419.23 44
DEU Hamburg COA.svg Hamburg 1,841,179 755.26 45
Coat of arms of Hesse.svg Hesse 6.265.809 21,114.94 2,054
Coat of arms of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (great) .svg Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 1,609,675 23,180.14 1,878
Coat of arms of Lower Saxony.svg Lower Saxony 7,982,448 47,634.90 3,930
Coat of arms of North Rhine-Westfalia.svg North Rhine-Westphalia 17,932,651 34,088.01 4,917
Coat of arms of Rhineland-Palatinate.svg Rhineland-Palatinate 4,084,844 19,853.36 2,196
Coat of arms of the Saarland Saarland 990.509 2,569.69 465
Coat of arms of Saxony.svg Saxony 4,077,937 18,415.51 1,892
Coat of arms Saxony-Anhalt.svg Saxony-Anhalt 2,208,321 20,446.31 2,503
DEU Schleswig-Holstein COA.svg Schleswig-Holstein 2,896,712 15,799.38 1,667
Coat of arms of Thuringia, svg Thuringia 2,134,393 16,172.50 1,464
Coat of arms of Germany.svg total 83.019.213 357,582 45,277

See also

literature

  • Jürgen Eiselt: Decentralized energy transition. Opportunities and challenges . Vieweg & Teubner, Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3-8348-2461-5 .
  • Manfred Popp: Germany's energy future: can the energy transition succeed? . Wiley-VCH, Weinheim 2013, ISBN 978-3-527-41218-1 .
  • Jürgen Staab: Renewable energies in municipalities: Founding, managing and advising energy cooperatives , 2nd, revised and expanded edition. Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden 2013, ISBN 978-3-8349-4403-0 .
  • Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE): Current facts about photovoltaics in Germany .
August 2016. 89 pages, online (pdf)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Harry Wirth: Current facts about photovoltaics in Germany. Fraunhofer ISE , June 10, 2020, accessed on August 15, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Renewable Energies 2011 ( Memento from May 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 946 kB). BMU website. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  3. ↑ Gross electricity generation in Germany from 1990 by energy source . Website of the AG Energiebilanzen. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  4. ↑ Solar energy is developing into the mainstay of power supply in southern Germany from February 17, 2015
  5. ↑ www.bundesnetzagentur.de (January 9, 2012)
  6. ↑ Federal Environment Ministry: Energiewende Aktuell - Future made in Germany. ( Memento of August 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) For systems that went into operation after March 8, 2012, new (slightly lower) tariffs apply
  7. ↑ Federal Network Agency: Photovoltaic systems: data reports and EEG remuneration rates , accessed on February 1, 2019.
  8. ↑ BSW: Federal government misses expansion targets for solar power. 19th June 2014
  9. ↑ Viktor Wesselak , Thomas Schabbach , Thomas Link, Joachim Fischer: Handbuch Regenerative Energietechnik . 3rd updated and expanded edition. Berlin / Heidelberg 2017
  10. ^ German Weather Service (DWD): Global radiation maps (monthly and annual totals). Retrieved February 2, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi): Facts and Figures Energy Data. (XLSX, 2 MB) September 9, 2019, p. 20 , accessed on February 2, 2020 .
  12. ↑ EEX transparency platform ( Memento of the original from February 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Expected PV production ( Memento of the original from January 17, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Actual PV production ( Memento of the original from February 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.transparency.eex.com @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.transparency.eex.com @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.transparency.eex.com
  13. ↑ Energy Charts. Fraunhofer ISE , accessed on November 15, 2016 .
  14. ↑ EEX Transparency (German). (No longer available online.) European Energy Exchange , archived from the original on November 15, 2016 ; Retrieved on November 15, 2016 (up-to-the-minute information on the feed-in of electricity in Germany (share of PV and wind power and from other "conventional" sources)). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.eex-transparency.com
  15. ↑ PV power in Germany, website of SMA Solar Technology
  16. ↑ Actual Solar Production ( Memento of the original from February 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Website of the EEX electricity exchange. Retrieved May 26, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.transparency.eex.com
  17. ↑ Sun record. Solar cells provide as much electricity as 20 nuclear reactors . In: Der Spiegel , May 26, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  18. ↑ Euphoria for a new gas-fired power plant is cooling off
  19. ↑ Solar power record in May. More than four billion kilowatt hours produced  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: Freie Presse , June 8, 2012. Accessed June 8, 2012.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.freipresse.de  
  20. ↑ Statistical figures of the German solar power industry (photovoltaics). (PDF; 0.5 MB) In: BSW - Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft e. V. www.solarwirtschaft.de, March 2019, p. 4 , accessed on September 8, 2019 .
  21. ↑ Electricity system gets rid of coal . In: Klimareporter , July 4, 2019. Accessed July 4, 2019.
  22. ↑ Rhineland-Palatinate welcomes the vote against solar covers in the Federal Council . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , October 11, 2019. Accessed November 17, 2019.
  23. ↑ action against the "solar cover" . In: Frankfurter Rundschau , June 8, 2020. Accessed June 8, 2020.
  24. ↑ Solar companies submit constitutional complaints against funding limits . In: Spiegel Online , June 8, 2020. Accessed June 8, 2020.
  25. ↑ The brakes on the energy transition slowed down . In: Klimareporter , June 19, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  26. ↑ Land use in Germany .
  27. ↑ cf. Energy crop : extent of cultivation and development
  28. ↑ Ecofys: More than 2,300 km² of building area can be used for photovoltaics and solar thermal energy ( Memento from December 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). Der Solarserver, August 3, 2007, accessed on January 1, 2010.
  29. ↑ Volker Quaschning: How much solar power do we need? . Sun, Wind & Heat 03/2011, pp. 26–28.
  30. ↑ Fraunhofer ISE: 100% renewable energies for electricity and heat in Germany (page 15) (PDF; 1.2 MB)
  31. ↑ http://www.photovoltaik.eu/nachrichten/details/beitrag/photovoltaik-zubau-bei-7400-megawatt-im-jahr-2010_100004846/ ( Memento from December 27, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Photovoltaic expansion at 7400 megawatts in the year 2010
  32. ↑ http://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2012/120109_ZubauPVAnlagen.html?nn=65116 Additions to photovoltaic systems in 2011 even higher than in the record year 2010
  33. ↑ Lödl, Martin et al.: Estimation of the photovoltaic potential on roof areas in Germany. 11th Symposium on Energy Innovation, From February 10 to 12, 2010, Graz / Austria, manuscript, p. 14.
  34. ↑ Joseph Bergner, Bernhard Siegel and Volker Quaschning: Obstacles and hurdles for photovoltaics. (PDF; 1.4 MB) As of August 2019. In: Berlin University of Applied Sciences . August 2019, accessed August 31, 2019 .
  35. ↑ Obstacles to urban PV expansion. In: Berlin University of Technology and Economics . 2019, accessed August 31, 2019 .
  36. ↑ Solar power is red, ZEIT Online, April 12, 2012
  37. ↑ Bosch terminates activity in the field of photovoltaics - competitiveness cannot be established, Bosch press release, March 22, 2013 ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 168 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bosch-solarenergy.de
  38. ↑ Solar Dawn at Bosch, Solarify, March 23, 2013
  39. ↑ EU Commission takes a look at China's solar industry, Welt Online, September 6, 2012
  40. ↑ America decides high tariffs on Chinese solar modules, FAZ, October 11, 2012
  41. ↑ Hans-Josef Fell: Do not seal off solar markets, June 1, 2012 ( Memento of the original from January 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hans-josef-fell.de
  42. ↑ Punitive tariffs could destroy 242,000 jobs, February 22, 2013
  43. ↑ Solarbranche.de: EU lifts punitive tariffs on Chinese solar products. 3rd September 2018.
  44. ↑ Hope is flexible . In: Die Zeit , December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  45. ↑ action against the "solar cover" . In: Frankfurter Rundschau , June 8, 2020. Accessed June 8, 2020.
  46. ↑ Cf. Volker Quaschning : Renewable Energies and Climate Protection . Munich 2018 p. 127f.
  47. ↑ Population figures (as of December 31, 2018)
  48. ↑ https://www.foederal-erneuerbar.de/uebersicht/bundeslaender/BW%7CBY%7CB%7CBB%7CHB%7CHH%7CHE%7CMV%7CNI%7CNRW%7CRLP%7CSL%7CSN%7CST%7CSH%7CTH%7CD / category / solar / selection / 183-installed_performance / # goto_183
  49. ↑ whether there is now a newer version can be seen at www.pv-ffekten.de (link list)