In Europe, Germany is not rich in sunlight resources. In fact, the entire Central European region is one of the regions with the least sunshine hours in the world. The annual average solar radiation in the southern Munich area, which is the most sunny in Germany, is only 1200KWH/square meter, and most areas in the territory are less than 1100KWH/square meter. However, Germany is one of the most successful countries in the world in promoting distributed photovoltaic power generation. There is a stark contrast between less sunshine resources and impressive solar power generation.
In Germany's power generation, the proportion of power generation from new energy has increased rapidly since 2012, while the proportion of power generation in the same period has fallen the fastest is nuclear energy. By 2018, the proportion of renewable energy power generation has exceeded 35%. Among them, photovoltaic power generation accounts for nearly 50% at noon, which is already considerable. In 2022, the average growth rate of photovoltaics nationwide in Germany will be about 28%. Three quarters of private homeowners with solar-capable roofs are considering solar systems, and this growth trend is likely to continue in the future. A survey of 1,022 homeowners in Germany commissioned by the Solar Industry Association at the end of December 2022 revealed that one in five homeowners already planned to install a solar roof within the next year. Among those who want to buy a photovoltaic system, 80% plan to buy a solar energy storage system. Overlooking Germany, PV growth in the north is twice as high as in the south: PV systems increased by around 20% in Niedersachsen, Meizen, Schlsch-Holstein and other city states, while in Bavaria the PV growth was only 10% %, Baden State is only 11%.
Image source: Netease: German photovoltaic technology develops at an astonishing speed
Because Germany's average electricity price is high, ranking second in the world, data shows that in August 2022, Germany's average wholesale electricity price will exceed 469 euros per megawatt-hour, which is more than five times the price a year ago. Generally speaking, the cost of generating electricity from new energy sources is much higher than that from traditional energy sources such as coal. Therefore, without government subsidies, the business model of new energy power generation is difficult to maintain. The German government has provided financial support for rooftop photovoltaics since 1990 and subsidized initial construction funds. In 2004, the German government began to encourage private installation of photovoltaic power generation devices. After 2009, Germany began to encourage users to generate electricity for their own use and provide additional subsidies for self-consumption electricity. The greater the proportion of self-consumption electricity, the higher the degree of subsidy. In the 2022 annual tax bill, the German government approved a measure: starting from the beginning of 2023, the household photovoltaic income tax and the value-added tax on household and public building photovoltaic systems will be cancelled. Therefore, the rapid development of the German photovoltaic power generation market has a direct causal relationship with the government's subsidies for initial construction and the subsequent transition to tax exemptions for household photovoltaics.
From the point of view of the main export countries and regions of photovoltaic modules, Europe is affected by the energy gap, and the demand for photovoltaics is rising rapidly. The share of exports to the European market exceeds half, and the share of exports to Spain, Germany and Poland has grown very Obviously, in the whole year of 2018, the export volume of China's photovoltaic modules to Germany was 339MW, and the average monthly export volume was only 28MW. However, entering 2019, the export volume of photovoltaic modules in Germany has increased sharply. In the first four months of 2019, the monthly average export volume was 147MW, five times that of 2018. The total export volume in the first four months of 2019 was 0.58GW.
In 2021, China's photovoltaic module exports to Germany will be about 2.3GW, and the country's photovoltaic installed capacity will be 5.3GW in the same year; according to the statistical export data on October 25, 2022, the growth rate of battery module exports to Germany in September 2022 will be the fastest growing at 169%. In September, Germany ranked first with 317.7%, and it is estimated that by 25 years, Germany's installed capacity will be the highest at 30.7GW.
Judging from the German government’s series of policies to stimulate the development of the distributed market, Germany’s current demand for photovoltaic products is very strong. Before 2030, the demand in the European market will always grow at a high speed. The adjustment of energy structure will not happen overnight. New energy is given high hopes, and they will spare no effort to persist in the development of new energy. In this long-distance competition of the photovoltaic industry, China will still play a leading role in it. China has almost monopolized the entire industrial chain of photovoltaic application systems. China has achieved a cost structure that the world cannot achieve. This is the core of China. Competitiveness.
