Worrying development: 87% of imported photovoltaic systems came from China in 2022

More and more photovoltaic systems are being installed worldwide in order to convert the energy mix to renewable energies. But the current development is worrying: 87% of imported photovoltaic systems came from China in 2022. This represents a dependence of the global energy supply on a single country and should not go unmentioned.

This circumstance leaves many questions unanswered and requires careful consideration of the topic. A look at the causes is particularly revealing.

It is known that the photovoltaic industry in China has boomed in recent years. The reason for this is that the Chinese government has launched many funding programs and initiatives in recent years that strongly support the construction of photovoltaic systems. This support has contributed to the rapid development of the Chinese photovoltaics market.

But there's another reason why so many photovoltaic systems come from China: There is a lot of demand for cheap solar systems, and China offers a variety of manufacturers capable of meeting these demands. This means that many customers turn to Chinese manufacturers when looking for affordable photovoltaic systems.

It is important that we are aware of the dangers associated with dependence on imports of photovoltaic systems from China. If there is not adequate control and quality management, it can lead to serious problems. Therefore, we need to focus not only on the benefits of importing photovoltaics from China, but also on the risks.

It is necessary that we concentrate on more sustainable and, above all, safe photovoltaic production in the future. This is the only way we can ensure that the photovoltaic systems we import are safe and reliable.

Around 87% of the photovoltaic systems imported into Germany in 2022 came from the People's Republic of China. The value of these systems introduced was a good 3.1 billion euros, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). In total, photovoltaic systems worth around 3.6 billion euros were imported to Germany last year. China, as the most important supplier of solar cells, solar modules and the like, was followed at a large distance by the Netherlands (143 million euros or 4%) and Taiwan (94 million euros, 3%).

• A total of assets worth 3.6 billion euros were imported and exports amounted to 1.4 billion euros.
• Almost 2.5 million photovoltaic systems were installed in November 2022, 14% more than in the same month last year.
• New high: Almost 12% of the total electricity feed-in from January to November 2022 from photovoltaics.

Imports of photovoltaic systems in 2022 - Image: Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), 2023

The value of imports of photovoltaic systems in 2022 was more than twice as high as the value of exports of these goods from Germany. Photovoltaic systems worth a good 1.4 billion euros were exported last year. Most of these went to European countries. The most important buyers were Austria (206 million euros, 14%), the Netherlands (164 million euros, 11%) and Italy (160 million euros, 11%).

Production of solar modules increased by 44% from January to September 2022 compared to the same period last year

In Germany, the production of solar modules for photovoltaic systems in particular has increased significantly in recent years. Solar modules are installed in photovoltaic systems that are used to generate electricity from solar energy. The electricity generated can either be used directly, stored or fed into the power grid. Around 2.9 million solar modules were produced in this country for sale at home or abroad from January to September 2022. That was 44% more than in the first three quarters of 2021 (2.0 million units) and 75% more than in the same period of the pre-Corona year 2019 (almost 1.7 million units), for which the data was available for the first time.

However, the production of solar collectors and their increase compared to previous years were significantly lower than for solar modules. Solar collectors are part of solar thermal systems. These convert solar energy into heat, both for hot water production and for heating. High-performance solar thermal systems are also used in industry; they generate heat for service and heating water as well as for industrial processes, so-called process heat. From January to September 2022, 202,000 solar panels were produced. That was roughly as many as in the first three quarters of 2021 (200,000 units) and 25% more than in the same period of 2019 (a good 161,000 units).

In November 2022, 14% more photovoltaic systems were installed than in the same month last year

More and more companies, but also private households, are using the sun's energy to generate electricity: In November 2022, almost 2.5 million photovoltaic systems with a total nominal output of a good 63.7 gigawatts were installed on roofs and properties. The number of systems increased by 14% compared to November 2021, and the installed capacity rose by 13% within a year. In January 2018, when the data was collected for the first time, there were around 1.7 million systems with a nominal output of almost 42.3 gigawatts. Since then, the number of systems has increased by 47%, while installed capacity has increased by 51%.

Net nominal output of photovoltaic systems - Image: Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), 2023

From January to November 2022, 20% more electricity was fed in from photovoltaics than in the same period last year

Through the operation of photovoltaic systems, around 53.4 terawatt hours of electricity from sunlight were fed into the grid from January to November 2022. This was 20% more than from January to November 2021 (44.5 terawatt hours) and 33% more than in the same period in 2018 (40.2 terawatt hours).

Electricity feed-in through photovoltaics – Image: Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), 2023

The share of photovoltaics in overall electricity generation has also increased: with almost 12% of the electricity fed in from January to November 2022, it has reached a new high in this country. From January to November 2021, photovoltaics accounted for a good 9% of total electricity generation. The previous record month for solar power in Germany was June 2022 with a good 7.6 terawatt hours and a share of 20% of total electricity generation.

Solar power was a source of income for almost 1.6 million private households in 2021

For many private households, solar power is not only a source of energy but also a source of income. In 2021, almost 1.6 million or 4% of all private households had income from feeding solar power into the grid. The number and proportion have increased in recent years: in 2015 there were around 1.2 million or 3% of all households.

The income of these households from electricity sales averaged 183 euros per month in 2021, slightly higher than the previous year (174 euros per month). Compared to 2015 with 266 euros per month, average income has fallen by almost a third (31%). One reason for this decline is likely to be the declining feed-in tariff for newly installed photovoltaic systems according to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG).

Source: Press release No. N 012 dated March 1, 2023

Everything from a single source, specially designed for solar solutions for large parking areas. You refinance or counterfinance into the future with your own electricity generation.

Advice and solutions can be found here 👈🏻

Advice and planning including a non-binding cost estimate. We bring you together with strong photovoltaic partners.

Advice and solutions can be found here 👈🏻

We are positioned across regions in German-speaking countries. We have reliable partners who advise you and implement your wishes.

Get in touch with us 👈🏻