Germany's Solar Market Saves Customers Money and Time

BERLIN and SAN FRANCISCO, July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Germany's solar market is the most efficient and cost effective in Europe, according to a recent survey by PV Legal. While the average time to connect a new small-scale system to the grid is between 14 and 50 weeks across the continent, German residents are connected in only 6 weeks on average. At the same time, 19 to 65 percent of small-scale project expenses (excluding equipment) go to legal-administrative costs, whereas Germans pay only 7 percent on average. This result is a testament to the country's extensive photovoltaic infrastructure that includes installers, utilities and banks with photovoltaic expertise. For the latest news on Germany's photovoltaics market, Germany Trade & Invest will have representatives on hand at this year's Intersolar North America from July 12-14 in San Francisco, California.

"Germany continues to confirm its leadership role in renewable energies. Industry players are already preparing for innovative new business models based on consumption and storage rather than feed-in tariffs. Now is an excellent time to invest in Germany," said Thomas Grigoleit, renewable energies expert at Germany Trade & Invest in Berlin.

In last month's semiannual update to the Renewable Energies Act (EEG) - the bedrock of Germany's sustainable energy push - feed-in tariffs for solar energy were reconfirmed with no fixed capacity cap in sight. The "own consumption bonus" was also extended until 2013, providing a strong signal for the further expansion of the residential, decentralized market. Additional federal funding has been announced in recent weeks for energy storage and smart grid technologies, which will serve to balance the growing fluctuating energy supply with consumer demand.

Already the home of nearly half of all solar installations worldwide, the German photovoltaic market is on the verge of a paradigm shift that can't be found anywhere else: the development of a grid parity market. Soon feed-in tariffs will be redundant, as solar electricity will be cheaper than power from the socket. Falling system price are driving this shift. This year, system prices in Europe have already dropped approximately 16 percent, according to Solarbuzz.

Germany Trade & Invest is the foreign trade and inward investment promotion agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The organization advises foreign companies looking to expand their business activities in the German market. It provides information on foreign trade to German companies that seek to enter foreign markets.

Germany Trade & Invest
Andreas Bilfinger
Email: [email protected]
T: +49(0)30-200099-173
F: +49(0)30-200099-511

SOURCE Germany Trade and Invest