Solar power sales in Germany grow by 30 percent on lower prices
Clean Energy Wire
The demand for solar power panels in Germany has grown by about 30 percent in 2019 thanks to lower hardware prices and a greater readiness to invest by citizens concerned about climate change and preparing for the mass roll-out of electric mobility, industry association BSW Solar said. "We're glad to see the market revived but we must not be complacent," said BSW Solar head Carsten Körnig, warning that there still is a large gap between expansion figures and what is needed for climate-friendly power production. "There will be a power production gap following the exit from nuclear and coal-fired power production if renewable energy sources are not expanded much quicker," Körnig said, arguing that solar power expansion levels would have to increase threefold to stay on track. He added the most important policy step in 2020 would be to remove the current cap of 52 gigawatts (GW) capacity for solar power support, which according to BSW Solar could be reached already in a few months' time.
About 4 GW of solar power capacity have been added in 2019 and the technology accounted for almost ten percent of net power generation. In June last year, it was the northern European country's single largest source of electricity, generating 19 percent of the net public electricity supply over a whole month.
