The Energy crisis and the extremely low Module prices are the main reasons why photovoltaic installations in Germany have almost doubled from 7.7 GW in 2022 to a good 14 GW this year. Smart companies seize the moment and are already preparing for the coming energy legislation, which will make fossil fuels extremely expensive and promote renewable energies.
Low module prices & limited capacities for installations
The historically low price of solar modules, which is currently even lower than the manufacturing costs, has ensured full order books for months for solar installers in the area of smaller private PV systems. As the Decision paths for commercial photovoltaic systems in large companies are usually longer, this trend is now also reaching CUBE CONCEPTS. The Order capacities for 2024 are already limited and company management should Decide quicklyif you would like to reduce your energy costs and improve your carbon footprint with your own large-scale PV system next year.
Germany remains the leader in Europe
In Europe, experts expect a total of 56 gigawatts to be added to photovoltaic systems this year. With the new German record installation of 14 gigawatts in 2023, Germany is still the European top. However, the plan envisages that from 2025, nationwide 22 gigawatts must be added annually from photovoltaic systems in order to achieve the expansion target. According to this, a total of around 215 gigawatts of PV capacity is to be installed in Germany by 2030. The second largest European PV market is - like last year - Spain. However, there were no major changes here compared to the previous year and the expansion in 2023 will again be around 8.2 gigawatts. PV capacity additions have almost doubled in Italywho is now on a par with Poland and the Netherlands between 5 and 4.5 gigawatts.
Rooftop PV systems will account for the largest share of PV installations in Europe in 2023
Solarpower Europe reports in its "Energy Market Outlook" that the market share of rooftop PV systems is around two thirds of the total European PV capacity. One explanation for this is that electricity prices for consumers were particularly high in 2023, meaning that costs could be reduced noticeably and quickly with direct consumption. In addition, approval for a rooftop system is generally easier to obtain. Permits for ground-mounted systems are, on the other hand, significantly more more difficult. Grid connections or building permits can sometimes be delayed. up to eight years delay. The frontrunners here are Austria, the Netherlands and Italy. The reasons for this are lengthy expert opinions, a lack of grid expansion or slow approval procedures.
Will the record PV additions of 2023 continue?
The driving forces behind the record PV installation in 2023 are the increased energy costs and low solar module prices. Experts assume that energy prices will not return to levels similar to those before the war in Ukraine in the long term. The pressure to use renewable energies is being exerted by the national and European Legislation for companies will rise even further, which will also increase demand for commercial photovoltaic systems. Module prices will also rise again in the medium term and pessimists point out that they could become even more expensive due to additional import duties on Asian modules. The expansion of PV could also be delayed by the lack of grid and storage expansion and the lengthy approval procedures. Urgent political decisions and a reduction in bureaucracy are needed here.