Number of PV arrays in Germany passes 5 million “milestone”

Following a rapid rise in household solar panel installations, Germany’s total number of PV arrays has passed the five million “milestone,” according to industry association BSW-Solar. The lobby group said that number was now registered with the country’s grid agency BNetzA.

Solar systems already cover almost 15 percent of Germany’s electricity demand, BSW-Solar said. More than one million new solar systems with a capacity of around 17 gigawatts were installed last year alone. This means that 104 gigawatts (GW) of installed solar power capacity are now in operation –38 percent on the roofs of private houses; 29 percent on company roofs; and 32 percent in open spaces. Just under one percent was installed on balconies, according to the lobby group.

The lobby group’s head, Carsten Körnig, added that the growth in recent years had not been sufficient “to achieve the climate targets in a sustainable way and to satisfy the growing demand for electricity in close cooperation with other renewable energies.” He added that the digitalisation of the energy transition needed to be accelerated.

The total capacity of all PV systems installed in Germany surpassed 100 GW at the start of the year. Germany has made solar PV a key technology in its efforts to decarbonise the country’s energy supply. The country aims to more than double solar capacity to 215 GW by 2030. The fast pace of Germany’s solar PV expansion is causing concerns among energy companies about the buildout’s effect on the grid. It has also led grid operator 50Hertz to call for a more careful approach to avoid the risk of overloading networks.