Recent facts about photovoltaics in Germany - GREAT READ

[kristopher]

Germany Solar PV Report — A Must-Read For Any Energy Reporter

One of our Dutch readers, Remco van der Horst of Better Energy, recently passed along an excellent report on various aspects of Germany’s solar power boom. The report actually reads more like a fact-checking of common claims (in media and politics) regarding Germany’s rapid energy transition. It is easy to read, organized by common questions/claims, and full of interesting facts. I actually learned a few things from this one that have been itching at my mind for awhile.

I definitely recommend checking out every question and at least the short answer for it. However, I’m pulling out a few of the key ones and sharing them below. Have a look!

2. Does PV contribute significantly to the electric power supply?

Yes.

As estimated on the basis of figures from [BDEW3] and [BDEW4], PV generated 28 TWh [BDEW4] of power in 2012, covering approximately 5.3 percent of Germany’s net power consumption (compare section 20.8). Taken as a whole, renewable energy (RE) ac- counted for around 25.8 percent of net power consumption, while the proportion of Germany’s gross power consumption covered by PV and RE stood at 4.7 percent and 23 percent respectively.

On sunny days, PV power can cover at times 30 – 40 percent of the current power consumption. According to the German Federal Network Agency, PV modules with a rated power of 32.4 GW had been installed across a total of around 1.3 million plants in Germany by the end of 2012, meaning the installed capacity of PV has exceeded that of all other types of power plants in Germany. See Figure 1.
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http://cleantechnica.com/2013/11/07/germany-solar-pv-report-must-read-energy-reporter/

Recent facts about photovoltaics in Germany
Version as of Sep 12, 2013 Up-to-date version available from www.pv-fakten.de
Compiled by Dr. Harry Wirth Division Director Photovoltaic Modules, Systems and Reliability Fraunhofer ISE
Download PDF:
http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/publications/veroeffentlichungen-pdf-dateien-en/studien-und-konzeptpapiere/recent-facts-about-photovoltaics-in-germany.pdf

[kristopher]

1. Germany Finances Major Push Into Home Battery Storage for Solar

Germany Finances Major Push Into Home Battery Storage for Solar
Can Germany prime a price drop in battery storage systems, as it did for solar modules?

RenewEconomy, Giles Parkinson
November 8, 2013

The German government has responded to the next big challenge in its energy transition -- storing the output from the solar boom it has created -- by doing exactly what it has successfully done to date: greasing the wheels of finance to bring down the cost of new technology.

Over the past five years, Germany has been largely responsible for priming an 80 percent fall in the price of solar modules. Now it is looking at bringing down the cost of the next piece in the puzzle of its energy transition: battery storage.

At its disposal is the giant state-owned but independently run development bank KfW. In the clean energy space, it performs a similar function to Australia’s recently created (and likely doomed) Clean Energy Finance Corporation, but at a scale that is not contemplated in most countries, with the possible exception of China.

It has assets of more than €500 billion, and lent €73 billion last year, with one-third of that targeted at renewables and climate investments. Over the past three years, it provided €24 billion in loans for energy efficiency investment in homes, leveraging a total investment of €58 billion, helping insulate and seal more than 2 million homes, employing 200,000 people a year, and saving more than 150 million tons of carbon.

Six months ago, it began a new program to finance the introduction of battery storage into homes and small business...

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/germany-finances-major-push-into-home-battery-storage-for-solar?utm_source=Daily&utm_medium=Headline&utm_campaign=GTMDaily

The definition of 'early adopters' could use fleshing out, imo. Most samples of tech transformations that inform our understanding of 'early adopters' are mismatched to the way energy plays such a central role in our lives. It is perhaps easier to see when the same values play out on the national stage with debates on energy security. Energy independence is fundamentally a different level of need than the ability to navigate the world through Google Glass; and that, to some degree, is going to be reflected in evaluations by consumers judging whether the economics 'work'.
IOW I think people will pay a bit more for the ability to claim this aspect of their 'freedom', so the conventional measure of grid parity for those in the advance economies might shift.

[OnlinePoker]

2. Meanwhile, in Spain, the government is doing its best to destroy solar

As if Spaniards had not already been dissuaded by the potential €60 million fines they face for illegally generating their own solar power, they now have to look forward to a knock on the door from the 'solar police'.

A change to the ruling Popular Party’s (PP) Energy Law allows inspectors to “raid” properties they are suspicious of, armed only with administrative authorization.

If the suspect denies entry, Spain’s Industry Department will then ask for a court order that guarantees inspectors access to the property alongside Spanish national police.

Officers will be able to seize all documents related to to energy consumption and seal off entry to the property.

http://www.thelocal.es/20131112/spains-solar-police-to-kick-in-your-door

[Iterate]

4. Spain's current policies have little to do with the value of solar itself,

and are not intentionally anti-solar. In fact, renewables in Spain are producing well, perhaps too well.

The core problem was the lack of a coherent energy plan over the past two decades. In the 90's political power was de-centralized and infrastructure was in need of an overhaul, so when EU investment arrived every interest and region got a cut. The government made similar mistakes in the transportation sector.

One of the consequences was an overbuild of NG generation, which was the the thing to do 10-15 years ago. They weren't the only ones to make that mistake, but now the new plants can't be paid for unless they are used and renewables are undercutting prices. Spain has almost no external NG pipeline terminals or HV grid connections, and France has no interest in importing cheap Spanish production from renewables anyway.

And still no coherent plan or the political power to achieve one. That should be the lesson.

[quadrature]

3. electrics vehicles, would be a better investment....nt

[kristopher]

5. Sounds reasonable but I don't think so...

Two reasons.
1) The way to lower cost and improve performance at this point is to build a bigger market to drive more investment in manufacturing and innovation. The market for EV batteries is already being attacked aggressively so the next big market to try and open is solar storage for homes and businesses.

2) While EV batteries are great for that home use, it is also true that the power to weight ratio (a crucial consideration in EVs) is far less important for stationary applications. This opens an area to explore different chemistries that could result in more rapid cost reductions for stationary batteries than for those in EVs.