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Photovoltaic Library (PDF) – Image: Xpert.Digital / Benvenuto Cellini|Shutterstock.com

Large PDF library: Market monitoring and market intelligence on the topic of photovoltaics.

Data is viewed at regular intervals and checked for relevance. This usually brings together some interesting information and documentation, which we combine into a PDF presentation: our own data analyzes and marketing intelligence as well as external market observations.

More about it here:

• Overview of Photovoltaics/Solar Library & Interesting Facts as PDFs for download

Households – Electricity prices in Germany – Image: Xpert.Digital

As of April 1, 2019, residential customers in Germany paid an average of 33.8 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity under the basic supply tariff. The stated electricity prices correspond to an annual electricity consumption of between 2,500 and 5,000 kilowatt-hours from 2016 onwards.

Electricity prices for a 3-person household

In a typical household with an electricity consumption of 3,500 kilowatt hours, three people in Germany paid an average of €91.50 per month for electricity (as of January 2020). The electricity price for private individuals consisted primarily of network charges, procurement and distribution costs, and the EEG surcharge. The latter finances the expansion of renewable energies in Germany.

Electricity prices compared across countries

With an annual consumption of 2,500 to 5,000 kilowatt-hours, Germany ranked first in the EU in terms of household electricity prices. Electricity was cheapest in Bulgarian households. Globally, Germany was also among the countries with the highest household electricity prices. Furthermore, an examination of the index values ​​for the development of household electricity prices clearly shows that electricity prices in Germany are continuing to rise.

Electricity prices* for household customers in Germany from 2010 to 2020 (in euro cents per kilowatt hour)

Volume-weighted averages. Until 2015, electricity prices corresponded to an annual electricity consumption of approximately 3,500 kilowatt hours. From 2016 onwards, electricity prices correspond to an annual electricity consumption of between 2,500 and 5,000 kilowatt hours.

The figures prior to 2020 were taken from the respective previous year's publications.

Households – Electricity prices in EU countries – Image: Xpert.Digital

The statistic shows the electricity prices for household customers in the EU-27 countries in 2020. The electricity price for private households in Denmark in 2020 was approximately 28.26 cents per kilowatt hour for an annual consumption of 2,500 to 5,000 kilowatt hours.

Electricity prices* for households in the EU-27 countries in 2020 (in euro cents per kilowatt hour)

As of May 2021. Including all taxes. The figures are annual averages.

Annual consumption 1,000 kWh < 2,500 kWh

• Germany – 33.87 cents
• Denmark – 30.80 cents
• Ireland – 30.22 cents
• Belgium – 29.68 cents
• Spain – 28.64 cents
• Austria – 25.39 cents
• Italy – 24.69 cents
• Finland – 24.05 cents
• Czech Republic – 23.74 cents
• Luxembourg – 23.57 cents
• Portugal – 23.53 cents
• France – 22.84 cents
• Sweden – 20.77 cents
• Cyprus – 20.42 cents
• Slovakia – 19.29 cents
• Slovenia – 18.71 cents
• Latvia – 18.14 cents
• Greece – 17.02 cents
• Poland – 16.08 cents
• Malta – 14.75 cents
• Romania – 14.60 cents
• Estonia – 14 cents
• Croatia – 13.98 cents
• Lithuania – 13.97 cents
• Hungary – 11.29 cents
• Bulgaria – 10.19 cents
• Netherlands – 5.45 cents

Annual consumption 2,500 kWh < 5,000 kWh

• Germany – 30.25 cents
• Denmark – 28.26 cents
• Ireland – 25.15 cents
• Belgium – 27.47 cents
• Spain – 22.69 cents
• Austria – 21.39 cents
• Italy – 21.90 cents
• Finland – 17.57 cents
• Czech Republic – 18.18 cents
• Luxembourg – 19.86 cents
• Portugal – 21.27 cents
• France – 19.26 cents
• Sweden – 17.72 cents
• Cyprus – 19.16 cents
• Slovakia – 17.05 cents
• Slovenia – 15.71 cents
• Latvia – 14.26 cents
• Greece – 16.58 cents
• Poland – 14.93 cents
• Malta – 12.91 cents
• Romania – 14.54 cents
• Estonia – 12.64 cents
• Croatia – 13.04 cents
• Lithuania – 13.74 cents
• Hungary – 10.20 cents
• Bulgaria – 9.90 cents
• Netherlands – 13.94 cents

Average monthly electricity bill in Germany – Image: Xpert.Digital

With an electricity consumption of 3,500 kWh, a typical three-person household in Germany paid an average of €93.17 per month for electricity (as of June 2021). The electricity price was primarily composed of network charges, procurement and distribution costs, and the EEG surcharge.

Germany has the highest electricity prices in the EU

When comparing electricity prices for households in the EU-28 countries with an annual consumption of 2,500 to 5,000 kilowatt-hours, Germany recently ranked first. Electricity was cheapest in Bulgarian households. Even in a global comparison, Germany was a country with comparatively high electricity prices for households. The fact that electricity prices in Germany are continuing to rise is also evident when looking at the index values ​​for the development of household electricity prices.

Electricity supply in Germany

In Germany, a large portion of electricity is now generated from renewable energy sources. At the same time, the amount of electricity generated using nuclear power and hard coal is decreasing. In terms of electricity consumption, industry is the largest consumer in Germany. The consumer groups "commerce, trade, and services" and "households" each consume approximately one quarter of the total electricity.

Average electricity bill for a 3-person household in Germany from 1998 to 2021 (in euros per month)

• 1998 – 49.90 euros per month
• 1999 – 48.21 euros per month
• 2000 – 40.66 euros per month
• 2001 – 41.76 euros per month
• 2002 – 46.99 euros per month
• 2003 – 50.14 euros per month
• 2004 – 52.39 euros per month
• 2005 – 54.42 euros per month
• 2006 – 56.76 euros per month
• 2007 – 60.20 euros per month
• 2008 – 63.15 euros per month
• 2009 – 67.69 euros per month
• 2010 – 69.09 euros per month
• 2011 – 73.59 euros per month
• 2012 – 75.51 euros per month
• 2013 – 84.13 euros per month
• 2014 – 85.00 euros per month
• 2015 – 83.70 euros per month
• 2016 – 83.99 euros per month
• 2017 – 85.42 euros per month
• 2018 – 85.94 euros per month
• 2019 – 88.84 euros per month
• 2020 – 92.78 euros per month

What to do? Subsidies for old photovoltaic systems are expiring – Image: @shutterstock|alaj

Anyone in Germany who installed a photovoltaic system before 2001 now faces a difficult decision: What should happen to the electricity generated from next year onwards? These systems will then no longer be eligible for feed-in tariffs under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). The consumer advice center of North Rhine-Westphalia recommends that those affected carefully review initial offers from energy suppliers and wait for the upcoming legal regulations.

The guaranteed feed-in tariff under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) for electricity from photovoltaic systems expires on December 31, 2020, and the grid operator is no longer obligated to purchase the energy. However, a follow-up regulation, particularly for small systems older than 20 years, has not yet been decided and is still being negotiated in the German Bundestag. Nevertheless, a deadline of November 30th applies – by then, the grid operator must be informed how electricity will continue to be fed into the grid in 2021.

More about it here:

• What to do? Subsidies for old photovoltaic systems are expiring

EU: Waste incineration is renewable energy – Image: @shutterstock | DeawS – atabik yusuf djufni

Non-renewable energy can only be used once. It is a limited resource and not available indefinitely. This includes nuclear power. Nuclear power plants require enriched uranium, which must first be produced industrially. Depleted uranium is produced as a waste product. What happens to this waste, as well as to the fission products generated during nuclear fission—that is, highly toxic radioactive waste—is another matter. In contrast, fossil fuels cause environmental pollution and global warming through the release of greenhouse gases.

Up to this point, everything is logically comprehensible: Renewable energy is available in unlimited quantities and does not harm the environment.

More about it here:

• Waste incineration is renewable energy

Development of wind and solar energy in 2020 – Image: @shutterstock|Goodmorning3am

According to new data from the climate think tank Ember, global electricity generation from solar and wind power has increased by 19 percent and 11 percent, respectively. Major countries such as China, India, Russia, and the USA are experiencing massive increases in wind and solar power production. Russia is making significant strides in renewable energy, with a 55 percent increase in solar power and an astonishing 236 percent increase in wind power.

Electricity generated from wind and solar power has doubled in the last five years, according to Ember and Bloomberg. While the global share of annual wind and solar energy production has generally increased by less than one percent, it is projected to rise by over three percent by 2020.

More about it here:

• Annual percentage change in electricity generation in the following countries, 2019-2020

China is focusing on hydrogen and electric cars – Image: @shutterstock|Alexander Kirch

The data shows how China has expanded its wind and solar energy capacity over the past decade, creating the infrastructure to rely on cleaner energy sources in the future. According to Bloomberg, hydrogen energy is also much cheaper to purchase in China compared to other countries, suggesting an imminent boom in clean hydrogen energy. Nevertheless, the country is a world leader in coal demand and the production of new coal-fired power plants, and it will be the most difficult for China to move away from this type of fossil fuel in the coming decades.

More about it here:

• Hydrogen and electric cars in China