19.01.2024
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
PV expansion on rooftops more than doubled in 2023. However, consumers are currently unsettled, as Zolar, platform provider of private solar solutions, notes.
With 7,300 MW, private homeowners were able to increase the installed capacity by 142 percent last year compared to 2022. A total PV capacity of 14,000 MW was installed across all segments in 2023, according to Zolar GmbH in its 2023 annual review. Founded in 2016, the Berlin-based company enables homeowners and regional tradespeople to access solar solutions via an online platform.
In the annual ranking of the top 100 cities for PV expansion compiled by the platform provider, the cities of Gütersloh, Paderborn (both in North Rhine-Westphalia) and Oldenburg (Lower Saxony) are at the top of the list in 2023. There, private households have added the highest capacity in kW per 100,000 inhabitants. If we look at who has added the highest total output of PV systems in relation to the number of inhabitants since 2000, the ranking changes: the cities of Paderborn (37,386 kW), Gütersloh (33,565 kW) and Ingolstadt (27,348 kW) are then in the top three places.
Zolar believes that the reason for these good installation figures on German rooftops is the massive drop in module prices. This was facilitated by the availability of inexpensive Asian modules, which account for a global market share of 90 percent. Their prices have fallen by up to 50 percent compared to 2022. In addition, the supply bottlenecks in Europe that existed until then will no longer exist in 2023. Zolar assumes that solar modules will remain at a persistently low price level in 2024.
In view of the electricity and gas price increases forecast for 2024 and the rising cost of living, Zolar's market observers are registering uncertainty among consumers. This mood is also reflected in the solar market, where private investment in climate technologies was postponed at the end of the year.
Reduce dependence on a single supplier country
"Investments in sustainability must be even more worthwhile in times of inflation and uncertainty," emphasizes Sarah Müller, Managing Director of Zolar, in this context. If the price-performance ratio is not right and the product does not meet the high quality requirements of customers, even urgent purchasing decisions will be postponed," continues Müller.
The price increases predicted for 2024 in the electricity sector (plus 32 percent) gave the Managing Director a positive outlook, at least with regard to investments in solar and battery storage systems. Zolar does the math: An average family of 4 in a detached house (annual electricity consumption 5,000 kWh) incurs electricity costs of 2,057 euros. If the same family were to use a solar system with storage for electricity generation, they could cover around 80 percent of their needs with the solar system and thus reduce their electricity bill by 1,646 euros per year. This is because an average solar system with 10 kW produces around 10,000 kWh of electricity. If the family does not use the remaining electricity for a heat pump or to charge an electric vehicle, for example, they also benefit from an annual feed-in tariff of around 492 euros.
Zolar also advises strengthening the solar industry on European soil to counteract dependence on a single supplier country. According to Zolar, politics and business must work together to find solutions to strengthen regional production. The bottom line advises against punitive tariffs on foreign goods. Such an artificial increase in prices would only jeopardize the investments of private households.
"A successful European solar industry requires cooperation along the entire value chain," said Zolar CEO Müller. The online provider of solar solutions is setting a good example here: in a voluntary commitment, it guarantees to only integrate products from German and European manufacturers into its portfolio.
// Davina Spohn
