Electromobility, the solar obligation and the solar carport topic in Germany - with PDFs

Photovoltaics and electromobility worldwide – Image: m.mphoto|Shutterstock.com

In 2019, Spain was the largest solar market in Europe with an expansion of 4.7 GW. Spain has not achieved this feat since 2008. The main solar markets for 2019 were Germany (4 GW), the Netherlands (2.5 GW), France (1.1 GW) and Poland, which almost quadrupled its installed capacity to 784 MW. This trend towards increasing solar installations was observed across the EU: 26 of the 28 member states installed more solar systems in 2019 than in the previous year. By the end of 2019, the EU will have a total of 131.9 GW, an increase of 14% compared to last year's 115.2 GW.

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• Photovoltaics in Europe

Electromobility in Norway – Image: Piotr Krzeslak|Shutterstock.com

While Norway's policy measures (e.g. tax exemptions, toll exemptions and other incentives) have proven to be very effective in promoting electric cars, the Norwegian model cannot be easily transferred to other countries. First and foremost, the country charges hefty import duties and registration taxes, which make cars significantly more expensive than in the United States. By waiving these tariffs on electric vehicles, Norway is effectively subsidizing the purchase of electric vehicles to a degree that a larger country like the United States cannot afford. Secondly, Norway is a very wealthy country (ironically thanks to its oil reserves) with a high income level. According to Norway's National Statistical Institute, the median household income after taxes was almost $60,000 in 2017, about the same level as the United States but more than twice the EU average.

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• Electromobility in Norway

Lithium-ion batteries: The world needs batteries for electromobility – Image: PP77LSK|Shutterstock.com

Global demand for lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles will increase rapidly this decade. As the estimate shows, demand will be greatest in China - followed by the European Union and the USA. Many car manufacturers have committed to the goals of the Paris climate targets and are also required by law to have an ever larger proportion of their fleet powered by batteries. The most recent example is the EU Commission’s “Fit for 55” climate protection program. Car manufacturers such as Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW are responding with sometimes quite ambitious fleet targets for reducing CO2 emissions, which is likely to ensure continued high demand for batteries in the “Electric Mobility” sector in the coming years. The current government support measures in Europe in favor of purely battery-operated automobiles (BEVs) are further increasing the demand for batteries.

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• The world needs batteries for electromobility

Testing electromobility – Image: Rido|Shutterstock.com

The path to an industrial society that is committed to sustainability and is aware of its responsibility towards future generations leads to a future without the use of nuclear energy. The central point here is the expansion of renewable energies. New technologies for energy production and extraction as well as emission-free transportation are becoming increasingly important. The promotion of these technologies continues to progress. Virtual power plants are already connecting a wide variety of energy producers and electricity consumers.

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• How safe are you to drive an electric car? How is the safety of electric cars checked?

Solar carport installations for electromobility – Image: Xpert.Digital & Heliographer|Shutterstock.com

Advice and planning by Xpert.Solar

Germany sees electromobility as a driving force for a possible energy transition in the country, namely the exit from fossil fuels. Considering that the German automotive industry is one of the most important pillars of the national economy and also plays a key role on a global level, at a time when industries are expected to find climate and environmentally friendly solutions for production and use , widespread access to electric vehicles will be both the start of a new, greener era and a massive source of revenue.

In short, ideally electric cars should lead to reduced emissions, sustainable energy efficiency and more flexible mobility solutions for consumers. The vehicles are connected to a charging station and charged via the existing power grid. The stations can be either private or publicly accessible. Electric cars are powered by rechargeable batteries. The types of electric cars available in the German market are hybrid, mild hybrid, battery electric and plug-in hybrid, and Renault is the best-selling electric car brand in the country. Tesla is the world's leading electric car manufacturer.

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• Solar carport installations for electromobility

Solar carport – Image: Xpert.Digital|T.Werk GmbH

The carport, once discovered as a cheap alternative to the more expensive and increasingly narrow garages, is now increasingly becoming a lifestyle and all-rounder object of the future.

With photovoltaics and the growing importance of green electricity, the “car port” (a combination of the English terms “car” and “port”) is developing into a decentralized and networked solar filling station of the future. In the future, the car will no longer just be passively protected from weather-related weather, but now sustainable green electricity will also be produced through photovoltaics on the roof and, ideally, “parked” in an electricity storage system.

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• More green electricity from solar carports

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Charging infrastructure for electromobility – Image: BigPixel Photo|Shutterstock.com

In Germany, fossil energy consumption accounts for more than 50% for cold and heat. Be it room heating or air conditioning. This includes hot water, process heat (e.g. cooking, washing, burning or welding) and cooling. Renewable energies are now increasingly playing an important role here.

In addition to heat and cold, petroleum is an important component for mobile transportation. Globally, transport accounts for 40% of oil consumption. In the EU it is even more than 60%! The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources assumes that oil will be used up in 40 years if things continue as before.

For this reason alone, a timely rethink is necessary and continuing to compare the emissions of electric cars and combustion engines is not helpful. Electric cars run emission-free. Combustion engines are more environmentally and climate-friendly in their manufacture and production. The current Achilles heel of the electric car is battery production. Another weak point is currently the availability of charging points or charging stations.

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• Charging infrastructure for electromobility

Electromobility: Europe is racing forward – Image: Olivier Le Moal|Shutterstock.com

Despite difficult circumstances and the negative impact of the pandemic on the automotive industry, electric vehicles took a big leap forward in many countries in 2020. According to estimates by the industry tracker EV Volumes, plug-in electric vehicles accounted for 4.2 percent of global light vehicle sales last year, up from 2.5 percent in 2019. While only eight countries reported an EV share of 5 percent or more in 2019, 13 countries managed to increase the share of electric vehicles in new car sales to over 10 percent in 2020. As in previous years, Norway was a positive outlier with a 75% share of plug-in electric vehicles, while Iceland, Sweden and Finland also featured in the top five - evidence of the rapid adoption of electric cars in the Nordic countries. China, by far the largest electric car market in terms of sales, fell out of the top 10 with a 6.2 percent share of passenger car sales in the country. Meanwhile, the United States fell further behind, with EV share at just 2.3 percent.

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• Electromobility: Europe

Electromobility is coming slowly, but it is coming – Image Xpert.Digital, Roman Babakin|Shutterstock.com

In 2009 there were just under 1,500 electric cars in Germany. A good decade later, according to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, there will already be around 309,000 electric vehicles in 2021. Not Tesla, but Renault's Zoe was the most frequently registered electric car in Germany in 2020 with almost 30,000 new registrations (2nd place: Tesla Model 3 - 17,438). However, worldwide, Tesla and its Model 3 lead the ranking of electric car sales at the end of 2020 with around 813,000 vehicles sold, ahead of VW, SAIC and BMW. The Nissan Leaf follows in second place worldwide with almost 500,000 electric cars sold. Tesla Model S occupies third place with just over 300,000 new registrations.

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• Electromobility is coming

Solar carport – The solar parking lot roofing – Image: Xpert.Digital

More and more people are thinking about purchasing a carport with photovoltaics. In combination with an electricity storage system, this type of solar system is developing into a real alternative for climate neutrality and at the same time as a sustainable energy source for electric vehicles such as e-bikes and the like.

The general public is now becoming increasingly aware of the acceptance and possibilities and more and more operators of public parking spaces such as companies with large corporate parking spaces are thinking about doing their part. The financial advantages are also crucial, but the independent and autonomous power supply is also an important point.

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• Solar carport advice – optionally with power storage and charging station

Solar compulsory and solar carport compulsory in Germany – Image: Xpert.Digital / petovarga|Shutterstock.com

Several federal states have already decided on a requirement for solar systems, namely for:

• Residential buildings and non-residential buildings
• Private and commercial new buildings
• For roof renovations
• Open parking spaces ( solar carport /solar filling stations)

However, it varies in each federal state. Not every federal state supports a solar carport requirement or a solar requirement for private new buildings.

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• Solar compulsory & solar carport compulsory in Germany

Solar carport is mandatory for new parking spaces in Baden-Württemberg – Image: Xpert.Digital

As a rule, a carport is made of wood, steel or aluminum, but there are also plastic versions. Carports have a flat roof, higher quality versions have more complex constructions such as a gable roof, hipped roof or a barrel roof. A carport can be open on all sides, although elements are also available with which individual segments can be completely or partially closed. These elements can be made of sheet steel, wood, glass, WPC panels (wood-plastic composite), HPL panels (high-pressure laminates) or polycarbonate double-wall panels. In contrast to the garage, the carport is open at least on one side. A common variant of roof covering is corrugated metal, trapezoidal metal or their transparent forms, corrugated profile light panels or trapezoidal panels. Open carports without a roof are usually used as a visual border for outdoor parking spaces in order to highlight them from surrounding open spaces. The free areas of the roof are increasingly being used for solar systems and extensive green roofs.

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• Solar carport mandatory for new parking spaces in BaWü and Baden-Württemberg

Photovoltaic systems mandatory in North Rhine-Westphalia? – This should interest you – Image: Xpert.Digital & Butusova Elena|Shutterstock.com

In general, over 16 percent of electricity consumption in North Rhine-Westphalia was provided by renewable energies in 2019. With this amount alone, Bremen, Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania could be completely supplied with electricity.

The solar cadastre of the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (LANUV) North Rhine-Westphalia calculated the solar potential of 68 terawatt hours of electricity per year on the roofs of North Rhine-Westphalia. In fact, only 4.5 terawatts of solar power were generated with photovoltaics in 2019 - a meager 6.6 percent of the existing potential.

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• Solar obligation in North Rhine-Westphalia and North Rhine-Westphalia

Solar obligation or solar carport obligation in Rhineland-Palatinate – Image: Xpert.Digital / nnattalli|Shutterstock.com

“The solar requirement for new commercial buildings and new commercial parking spaces with more than 50 parking spaces is an important milestone in achieving our PV expansion goal. In order to generate our electricity from wind, sun, biomass and water by 2030, we must at least triple the proportion of solar energy to 7,700 megawatts. The solar obligation will provide us with significant support here,” said Climate Protection Minister Anne Spiegel. “As a climate protection ministry, we will support companies in implementing the solar obligation: a more specific state regulation and advisory services from the Rhineland-Palatinate Energy Agency, among others, are being planned,” Spiegel continued.

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• Solar obligation in North Rhine-Westphalia and North Rhine-Westphalia

The solar requirement for carports in Schleswig-Holstein is coming! – Image: Xpert.Digital

The climate protection and energy transition report published last year showed a gap in the expansion of renewable energies. This should be largely closed through greater expansion of photovoltaics (PV). Recent studies predict a potential of 7 to 9 gigawatts for photovoltaics on buildings in Schleswig-Holstein; currently only 1.1 gigawatts have been realized. “We want to significantly advance the necessary expansion of renewable energies with photovoltaic systems on roofs, parking lots and open-space systems. Photovoltaic systems are economically attractive for investors and make a contribution to climate protection. This strengthens the country’s ecology and economy equally,” said Albrecht. The solar requirement for solar carports in Schleswig-Holstein will come.

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• The solar requirement for carports in Schleswig-Holstein is coming!