Solar PV on all new German homes could supply 4 million households by 2036, E.ON says
Clean Energy Wire
The construction of new residential buildings in Germany offers a large potential for the rollout of solar energy, according to calculations by utility E.ON and think tank Energy Brainpool. "If every new single-family, semi-detached and terraced house built within the next 15 years were equipped with a rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system, these could generate a total of 78 terawatt hours (TWh) of green electricity over this period," E.ON said. In 2036 alone, these new rooftop systems could generate a combined 10.38 TWh, enough electricity to cover the annual electricity demand of more than 4.1 million average households.
"The photovoltaic potential for roof systems is enormous. Within the next 15 years, solar systems on newly built houses could save a total of 44 million tonnes of CO2," said Filip Thon, head of E.ON's energy business in Germany. He added there are still numerous suitable but previously unused areas on many existing residential and commercial buildings that could be used additionally.
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.
