Photovoltaics is outperforming traditional power plants

Published on: August 22, 2020 / Updated on: August 22, 2020 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Photovoltaics overtakes conventional power plants – @shutterstock | Martin Lisner

The importance of photovoltaics for domestic electricity generation continues to grow unabated. A recent analysis by the Fraunhofer Institute revealed that solar and wind energy shared the top spot in net electricity generation in Germany for the first time in June. According to the analysis, photovoltaic systems in Germany contributed 7.04 terawatt-hours (TW) to electricity generation.

This put them just slightly behind wind turbines, which reached 7.09 TW. In comparison, gas-fired power plants (6.5 TW) and lignite-fired power plants (6.4 TW) performed significantly worse. The 18.3 percent share for photovoltaics thus clearly demonstrates why it is rightly considered by many to be the preferred technology for the energy transition.

Renewable energies took the lead for the first time in June 2020

In June, photovoltaics, in combination with wind and biomass energy, achieved a historic milestone: For the first time, the share of renewable energies in net electricity generation exceeded that of power plants using non-renewable energy sources. While natural sources contributed 19.3 TW, or 50.4 percent, to the German electricity mix in June, conventional energy sources only accounted for 18.8 TW. By comparison, in June 2010, the ratio was 32.7 TW to 9.3 TW in favor of conventional power plants.

In light of these impressive figures, it's hard to believe how low a level solar energy has come from in this country. Just ten years ago, its share of total generation in Germany was a meager 1.8 percent, and in 2003 it was a paltry 0.1 percent.

And the popularity of photovoltaics is likely to continue to rise in the future. This is due to the significant technological advancements in the field. New modules and processes now allow for electricity production on large solar power plants for 5 cents per kilowatt-hour. This means that the technology is now profitable even without government subsidies, which will give photovoltaics a strong boost among professional users and investors.

Suitable for:

• Germany is a world leader in wind and solar energy
• Record share of renewable energies of 55.8 percent
• Photovoltaics are gaining ground across Europe
• The solar gold of 68 terawatt hours in North Rhine-Westphalia
• The breakthrough: Solar parks are profitable without subsidies