WIf you’ve ever looked at the rooftops of Frankfurt, you may have noticed the exhibition halls that take up most of the Europavirtel. There are 5,300 modules in Hall 12, scattered over the area of a football field – that’s quite a lot. The roof area of the two logistics halls, which wholesaler Metro has now built from photovoltaic modules, is 14 times larger – a gigantic area. A few kilometers from the coal-fired power plant in Marl, Germany’s largest solar system is now on its roof – a symbol of the energy transition.
Photovoltaic energy is thriving throughout Germany. In the first half of the year alone, about 465 thousand new solar systems with a capacity of 6,500 megawatts were put into operation, which is 64 percent more than the same period last year. Speed is also critical given the federal government’s ambitious expansion goals of 22 gigawatts of expansion each year starting in 2026. There is no reason to be euphoric: a large number of systems indicate that homeowner expansion is booming first.
The potential for the energy transition is still great.
However, many companies have doubts. For them, installing and operating a solar system is especially beneficial if they use most of the electricity they generate themselves. More than a third of companies plan to install a rooftop photovoltaic system, according to a representative Yougov survey released by the Federal Solar Industry Association last fall.
But many companies, especially those with little capacity for self-consumption, have not yet implemented their plans. They are struggling with rising interest rates that make financing through market premiums significantly less attractive. The numerous requirements for network connection, which can vary greatly from state to state and from network operator to network operator (there are almost 900 in total in Germany), also do not help. This small government system is not particularly helpful.
The federal government has already moved to cut bureaucracy with its solar package. She should continue it here. So far, only a tenth of the roofs of commercial enterprises that are theoretically suitable for installing photovoltaic systems are equipped with them. There is still great potential for energy transition here.
Source: Frantfurter Allgemeine
Elizabeth Gray is a writer at the World Herald News. He covers trending news, and his name appears frequently in online search results for stories covering the latest developments in international politics and business.
