Solar power
Solar power is the colloquial term for electrical energy converted from solar energy . This form of energy is one of the renewable energies , as it is available on earth every day during the day and the sun, viewed by human standards, is a practically inexhaustible source of energy.
Solar power can be generated by photovoltaic systems or with solar thermal power plants (via the detour using solar thermal energy ). The most important by far the form of solar power generation is the world's photovoltaic, other types of power plants are solar farm power plants , solar tower power plants , solar Stirling Equipment and thermal power plants . Due to its very great potential, solar energy, together with wind energy, is the most important future energy source in the context of the energy transition .
The production of solar power depends on external influences over which humans have little or no influence. You cannot influence B. season , time of day , weather conditions (e.g. ambient temperature, clouds, cloudiness), can be influenced e.g. B. Shading by superstructures, trees, flagpoles and the like or the place of installation (for example geographical latitude ).
Solar power in Germany
In Germany (apart from research facilities) solar power is only produced with photovoltaic systems. In 2007, solar power systems with a capacity of at least 1,150 megawatts were installed in Germany . In 2008 the expansion was at least 1,933 megawatts. The total installed capacity at the end of 2009 was around 9,760 MW. This covered around 1.5 percent of German electricity consumption at the time. In 2011 this proportion was 3.5%.
In 2009, Germany was the world's largest sales market for photovoltaic systems with an expansion of over 3,800 MW. In 2008, according to preliminary figures, Spain was the country with the largest expansion. The installation should have been 2,700 to 3,200 MW.
Since the subsidy became too expensive for the Spanish government, from 2009 it only allowed subsidized photovoltaic additions of around 500 MW annually. The expansion of photovoltaic systems in Spain by 2008 will result in compensation payments of around 40 billion euros. In Spain, the state and thus taxpayers subsidize the price of electricity, whereas in Germany it is the electricity buyer. The Spanish state will have to raise the 40 billion euros mentioned within the next 20 years.
In 2008, solar cells with an output of 1,460 MW were manufactured in Germany. This put Germany in second place behind China, where solar cells with an output of 2,589 MW were produced. Germany and Japan lost world market shares in cell production in 2008; in contrast, China, Taiwan and other Asian countries in particular were able to gain significant world market shares. In 2008, around every third solar cell sold worldwide came from China; Germany produced around 19 percent of world production.
As in 2006 and 2007, Germany was a net importer of solar modules in 2008 because the domestic production volume of solar modules was nowhere near enough to meet demand. In 2008, solar modules with an output of 1,207 MW were manufactured in Germany, but domestic installation was at least 1,933 MW. Since around 50 percent of the solar modules manufactured in Germany were exported, around 600 MW of German production remained domestically. With a total installation of at least 1,933 MW, two out of three solar modules installed in Germany in 2008 were imported from abroad.
Grid-connected photovoltaic systems are not yet economically competitive in Germany. The generation of solar power is therefore promoted by the Renewable Energy Sources Act. Owners of photovoltaic systems currently (4/2012) receive a feed-in tariff of approx. 14 to 58 cents per kilowatt hour , depending on the commissioning date, size and type of system. The costs for solar power generation are passed on to almost all electricity consumers, but large electricity consumers are exempt from the surcharge.
The EEG surcharge rose from 19 million euros in 1998 to 1,597 million euros in 2007.
In the "normal case", after the subsidy cut in April 2012, solar power is still remunerated at around four times the price on the electricity exchange . The electricity price on the electricity exchange rises above the solar feed-in tariff for only a few hours at peak times in midsummer.
If a private electricity consumer uses self- generated solar power (" self-consumption "), this is worthwhile for him as soon as the self- generated solar power is cheaper than the price from the electricity provider. Grid parity was achieved in Germany and other countries in 2012 ; Thanks to the sharp drop in solar panel prices since then, self-generated solar power is significantly cheaper than purchased electricity.
The cost development is monitored regularly. The expansion is to be regulated through regular cuts and special cuts in the feed-in tariffs according to the EEG. As part of the 2014 EEG reform, it is planned to charge self-consumption with the EEG remuneration. The Federal Association for Renewable Energy expressed the fear that this would result in less electricity being consumed and more being fed into the grid, which would lead to a higher EEG surcharge.
Most private solar power systems in Germany are installed on roof surfaces. The solar energy potential of a roof surface depends on its shape and size, inclination, exposure and shading .
Gross electricity generation from solar energy in Germany
From 2010 to 2014, the installed capacity of photovoltaics in Germany more than doubled from 18 to 38 GW. In 2014, however, the expansion fell significantly to 1.9 GW, which is below the expansion corridor of 2.5 GW specified by the federal government. Nevertheless, solar energy in Germany currently accounts for more than half of the peak consumption at midday on sunny summer days, in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg even two thirds.
If the expansion continues to reach high single-digit and possibly even double-digit gigawatt figures in the next few years, solar power could already be able to cover a large part of German electricity consumption on very sunny days. On a summer day, the peak load in Germany is around 70 gigawatts. The feed-in capacities of various types of power plants are regulated, which requires the expansion of easily controllable types of power plants and the development of corresponding control concepts. At this point in time, solar power will only make a low double-digit contribution to the German power supply on an annual average. The following table shows that the share of solar power in gross power consumption has increased tenfold in the past about every 6 years.
| year |
Inst. Performance MWp |
Average Power MW |
Solar power generation GWh |
Total gross electricity consumption TWh |
Proportion of the gross electricity generation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.6 | 0 | 1 | 550.7 | 0.0% |
| 1991 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | 539.6 | 0.0% |
| 1992 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 | 532.9 | 0.0% |
| 1993 | 5.0 | 1 | 6th | 528.0 | 0.0% |
| 1994 | 6.0 | 1 | 8th | 530.8 | 0.0% |
| 1995 | 8.0 | 1 | 11 | 541.6 | 0.0% |
| 1996 | 11 | 2 | 16 | 547.4 | 0.0% |
| 1997 | 18th | 3 | 26th | 550.0 | 0.0% |
| 1998 | 23 | 4th | 32 | 556.6 | 0.0% |
| 1999 | 32 | 5 | 42 | 557.3 | 0.0% |
| 2000 | 76 | 7th | 64 | 579.6 | 0.0% |
| 2001 | 186 | 13 | 116 | 585.1 | 0.0% |
| 2002 | 296 | 21st | 188 | 587.4 | 0.0% |
| 2003 | 435 | 36 | 313 | 600.7 | 0.1% |
| 2004 | 1.105 | 63 | 557 | 610.2 | 0.1% |
| 2005 | 2,056 | 146 | 1,282 | 614.1 | 0.2% |
| 2006 | 2,899 | 253 | 2,220 | 619.8 | 0.3% |
| 2007 | 4,170 | 351 | 3,075 | 621.5 | 0.5% |
| 2008 | 6,120 | 502 | 4,400 | 618.2 | 0.7% |
| 2009 | 10,566 | 708 | 6,200 | 581.3 | 1.1% |
| 2010 | 17,944 | 1,339 | 11,729 | 614.7 | 1.9% |
| 2011 | 25,429 | 2,237 | 19,599 | 605.8 | 3.2% |
| 2012 | 33,033 | 3,011 | 26,380 | 605.6 | 4.2% |
| 2013 | 36,337 | 3,540 | 31,010 | 603.9 | 4.9% |
| 2014 | 38,343 | 4.116 | 36,050 | 591.1 | 5.7% |
| 2015 | 39,799 | 4,420 | 38,720 | 595.1 | 6.0% |
| 2016 | 40,720 | 4,357 | 38,170 | 594.7 | 5.9% |
| 2017 | 42,390 | 39,900 | 602.6 |
Due to the nuclear phase-out in Germany after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, interest in renewable energies has grown in Germany. Low interest rates for credit balances and credits, the trend towards rising electricity prices and the rising oil price make investments in energy saving measures and / or renewable energies more attractive than before.
Web links
- Overview of solar power payments
- Map-based overview of the feed-in power throughout Germany according to postcode areas, offer from SMA Solar Technology
- Clean electricity directly from the neighbors (pilot test "Quartierstrom" in Walenstadt )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Photon , January 2009, p. 42 f .: More than one gigawatt of additional capacity
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from June 13, 2010 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. Photon: New figures: solar power expansion higher than previously known
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original dated November 29, 2011 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.
- ↑ Federal Network Agency: Payment rates for photovoltaic systems ( Memento of the original from September 8, 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.
- ↑ Photon April 2009 page 18: Iberian jumble of numbers
- ↑ Photon Oct. 2009, page 22ff: Adios, Espana
- ↑ Photon January 2009, page 3: Editorial
- ↑ Photon April 2009, page 54ff: restrained smiles on long faces
- ↑ Photon Jan. 2009, page 36ff: A good year
- ↑ Solarserver (2009): Solarserver: Sub-heading Two out of three solar modules installed in Germany came from abroad in 2008 , archived copy ( memento of the original from May 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ BDEW (2008): EEG annual accounts 2007 , PDF ( Memento of the original from January 16, 2011 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.
- ↑ Example prices on the EEX electricity exchange Archived copy ( memento of the original from October 2, 2009 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.
- ↑ The solar industry must focus on research . In: Handelsblatt , February 10, 2012. Accessed February 19, 2012.
- ↑ EEG remuneration rates ( Memento of the original from September 8, 2012 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.
- ↑ Agency for Renewable Energies (2014): Own consumption and regional direct marketing. Opportunities and challenges . Background paper
- ↑ Solar energy is developing into the mainstay of power supply in southern Germany from February 17, 2015
- ↑ a b Time series on the development of renewable energies in Germany. (PDF) FEDERAL MINISTRY FOR ECONOMY AND ENERGY, February 27, 2018, accessed on February 1, 2018 .
- ↑ a b Gross electricity generation in Germany from 1990 by energy source, evaluation tables 1990 - 2017 (data status July 2018). (PDF) Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen eV, February 2, 2018, accessed on October 15, 2018 .
