Solar module installations up 10% in Germany 2021, mandatory solar roofs in two states
Clean Energy Wire / pv magazine
Germany saw the installation of 240,000 new solar power systems with a total output of 5.3 gigawatts (GW) in 2021, preliminary information by the German Solar Association (BSW) shows. This was around ten percent more than in 2020, said the association. Solar PV covers around ten percent of domestic electricity consumption. The new German government is aiming to increase total solar capacity to 200 GW by 2030 – up from currently around 59 GW.
As of 1 January 2022, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and Baden-Württemberg are the first two German states to implement a solar-PV obligation for certain construction projects, reports pv magazine. In NRW, commercial car parks with more than 35 spaces must be covered with a PV system. In addition, Baden-Württemberg also obliges owners of newly built non-residential buildings to cover them with a solar roof and as of 1 May 2022, this will also apply to newly built homes. In January 2023, solar PV will become mandatory for roof renovations of existing buildings in the state that wants to be climate neutral by 2040, pv magazine reports. Several other German states are expected to follow suit with similar legislation in the coming months.
The national government has proposed in its coalition agreement to make rooftop solar mandatory for new commercial buildings and establish them “as a rule” on new private buildings. Germany currently derives around 9 percent of consumed electricity from solar panels.
