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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 reviewed and its relevance assessed at regular intervals. This usually yields a number of interesting pieces of information and documentation, which we summarize in a PDF presentation: our own data analyses and marketing intelligence, as well as external market observations.

More information here:

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

Households – Electricity price index in Germany until 2021 – Image: Xpert.Digital

Index for the development of electricity prices* for households in Germany from 1998 to 2021 (1998 = Index 100)

Based on the year 1998 (index = 100), the index value for the development of household electricity prices in Germany was 186 points in 2021. Electricity prices for households in Germany have been steadily increasing since 2000. Most recently, household electricity customers paid around 33 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Composition of the electricity price

For private households, the electricity price is composed of ten factors. The largest components are the net grid fees, the item "energy procurement, distribution, other costs and margin," and the EEG surcharge, which finances the expansion of renewable energies in Germany. The amount of the EEG surcharge is determined by the transmission system operators. Since its introduction, the EEG surcharge has increased year after year. Only in the last two years has a slight fluctuation been observed.

Electricity prices in comparison to other EU countries

For households with an annual consumption of 2,500 to 5,000 kilowatt hours, electricity prices were recently highest in Germany and Denmark compared to the other EU-28 countries. Belgium and Ireland followed. It was significantly cheaper in Bulgaria and Lithuania, for example.

* Including taxes and levies, as well as procurement, network charges, and distribution.
The figures are based on an average three-person household with an annual electricity consumption of 3,500 kilowatt hours.
The values ​​are derived, among other sources, from previous year's publications by the BDEW (German Association of Energy and Water Industries).

Electricity prices for commercial and industrial customers in Germany – Image: Xpert.Digital

As of April 1, 2020, commercial customers in Germany paid 23.03 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity, based on a volume-weighted average for an annual consumption of 50 megawatt-hours. Industrial customers with an annual consumption of 24 gigawatt-hours, on the other hand, paid 16.54 cents per kilowatt-hour on the same date.

Industrial electricity prices

Without taxes, the electricity price for industry in Germany in 2020 was approximately 8.49 cents per kilowatt-hour. The electricity price including taxes, at around 19 cents per kWh in 2020, was composed of various components. A large portion resulted from the "procurement, grid fees, and distribution" component, as well as the EEG surcharge, which promotes the expansion of renewable energies in Germany.

Electricity prices for residential customers

Since 2017, a general upward trend in electricity prices for residential customers has been observed in Germany. For annual consumption of 1,000 to 2,500 kilowatt-hours, Germany had the highest electricity prices in the EU. Conversely, the lowest electricity prices were charged in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Lithuania. As with electricity prices for industry, the electricity price for residential customers is primarily composed of network charges, procurement and distribution costs, and the EEG surcharge.

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

• 1 April 2010 – 12.29 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2011 – 15.74 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2012 – 15.78 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2013 – 17.17 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2014* – 15.11 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2015 – 14.80 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2016 – 14.21 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2017 – 14.90 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2018 – 15.30 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2019 – 15.98 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2020 – 16.54 euro cents per kilowatt hour)

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

• April 1, 2010 – 21.52 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 1 April 2011 – 23.38 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2012 – 23.89 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2013 – 26.74 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2014* – 21.86 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2015 – 21.47 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2016 – 21.20 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2017 – 21.70 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2018 – 21.56 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• 1 April 2019 – 22.22 euro cents per kilowatt hour)
• April 1, 2020 – 23.03 euro cents per kilowatt hour)

* Arithmetic mean. Excluding VAT. Figures up to 2013 refer to a volume-weighted average including VAT. Comparisons with previous years are therefore only possible to a limited extent.
Commercial customers: annual consumption of 50 megawatt hours.
Industrial customers: annual consumption of 24 gigawatt hours.
Values ​​prior to 2019 were taken from the respective previous year's publications.

Electricity prices for industry in Germany (excluding electricity tax) – Image: Xpert.Digital

In 2020, the electricity price for industry in Germany was 8.49 cents per kilowatt-hour. The figures shown do not include taxes. When taxes are taken into account, the electricity price for industrial consumers in the same year was approximately 18.55 cents per kilowatt-hour. Including taxes, industrial electricity prices rose significantly by more than ten cents per kilowatt-hour compared to the year 2000.

Until 2007, prices referred to January 1st of the respective year and an average annual consumption of 2,000 megawatt hours. From 2007 onwards, prices referred to the first half of the respective year and an average annual consumption between 500 and 2,000 megawatt hours. The values ​​given in the source as euros per kWh have been converted to euro cents per kWh. The values ​​for the years prior to 2009 are taken from earlier publications by the same source.

Composition of industrial electricity prices

The composition of industrial electricity prices, including taxes, in Germany is made up of various components. A large portion consists of the "procurement, grid fees, and distribution" component, as well as the EEG surcharge, which finances the expansion of renewable energies in Germany. In a European comparison, the electricity price for industrial customers with an annual electricity consumption between 20,000 and 70,000 megawatt hours in Germany was recently significantly higher than, for example, in neighboring countries such as France, Denmark, and the Czech Republic.

Electricity prices for households are rising

Electricity prices for residential customers have also tended to rise since 2007. With an annual consumption of 1,000 to 2,500 kilowatt hours, Germany had one of the highest electricity prices in the EU. Electricity for households is cheapest in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Lithuania. As with electricity prices for industry, the price of electricity for households is mainly composed of network charges, procurement and distribution costs, and the EEG surcharge.

Industrial electricity prices in Germany from 2000 to 2020 (excluding electricity tax)

• 2000 – 6.75 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2001 – 6.69 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2002 – 6.85 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2003 – 6.97 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2004 – 7.4 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2005 – 7.8 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2006 – 8.71 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2007 – 9.46 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2008 – 9.29 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2009 – 9.75 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2010 – 9.21 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2011 – 9 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2012 – 8.95 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2013 – 8.6 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2014 – 8.44 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2015 – 8.09 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2016 – 7.88 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2017 – 7.61 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2018 – 7.71 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2019 – 8.55 euro cents per kilowatt hour
• 2020 – 8.49 euro cents per kilowatt hour

Photovoltaics in North Rhine-Westphalia – @shutterstock | brichuas

Nationwide, around one in ten terawatt hours of electricity from renewable energies comes from North Rhine-Westphalia, according to the State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (LANUV).

With over 288,000 renewable energy installations and a capacity of 23.3 terawatt-hours, renewable energy sources supplied over 16 percent of North Rhine-Westphalia's electricity consumption in 2019. This amount alone could completely power Bremen, Hamburg, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The approximately eleven million rooftops in North Rhine-Westphalia have an estimated potential for 68 terawatt-hours of solar power. So far, only about 4 terawatt-hours have been realized, representing just three percent of the current electricity consumption in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Particularly high potential for solar power generation exists in densely populated regions such as Cologne, Düsseldorf, and the Ruhr area. Realizing this potential could result in savings of approximately 30 million tons of CO2. This corresponds to roughly ten percent of North Rhine-Westphalia's current greenhouse gas emissions.

The largest increase in installed capacity, approximately 470 megawatts, was recorded in the photovoltaic sector last year. This marks the fourth consecutive year that photovoltaic capacity has exceeded the previous year's increase.

More information here:

• Facts about solar energy from North Rhine-Westphalia

Photovoltaics for the energy transition – @shutterstock | Air Images

The energy transition in Germany has long been a done deal, and photovoltaics plays a crucial role in it. It is encouraging that this is also reflected in a high level of public acceptance.

The high approval ratings for renewable energies are demonstrated by the "Nature Awareness 2019" study, conducted by the Federal Ministry for the Environment and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation at the end of last year. According to the study, there is widespread public support for the energy transition: 60 percent consider it the right course of action, while only nine percent view it critically.

Public opinion regarding solar energy is even more positive. A broad majority of 93 percent support photovoltaic systems on and attached to buildings. Among those surveyed, 58 percent said they found these systems to be good, while another 35 percent accepted them. This puts building-based photovoltaics in a leading position among green energy generation options. Compared to offshore wind turbines (78 percent rate them positively or as acceptable), their onshore counterparts (70 percent), and biogas plants (61 percent), photovoltaic technology is thus far ahead.

More information here:

• Photovoltaics is the most popular option

Photovoltaics in Poland – @shutterstock | Anton_Medvedev

Photovoltaic development is progressing rapidly in Poland. The Polish grid operator Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne reported that the total installed capacity of all systems jumped by about ten percent in July alone. In contrast to the end of 2019, when 1.29 gigawatts (GW) were installed, this figure reached 2.26 GW in July, almost double the amount at the beginning of the year.

Poland is not alone in this development. A look across its borders to its European neighbors confirms this. Besides solar energy powerhouses Spain and Germany, countries like France and the Netherlands are also strongly promoting photovoltaics. The small Netherlands expanded its capacity by an impressive 2.5 GW last year. But the sector also grew disproportionately in France, with an additional 1.1 GW added in 2019.

And the future looks bright. Both countries, as well as Poland, are planning to implement further plants, which should increase the total capacity annually by the gigawatt range. With 2.5 GW planned for this year, Polish producers have nothing to be ashamed of. This shows that photovoltaics will continue to boom in our eastern neighbor.

More information here:

• Smaller producers are driving development in Poland

Photovoltaics: News from Germany – @shutterstock | Robert Biedermann

Call for mandatory photovoltaic systems in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is one of the sunniest regions in Germany. Nevertheless, the state lacks photovoltaic installations. To address this deficiency, the Left Party intends to submit a motion to the Schwerin state parliament for the mandatory use of photovoltaic systems on non-residential buildings and parking lots starting in May 2021.

Furthermore, the party wants to discuss whether the obligation could also be applied to residential buildings for reasons of climate protection and sustainable energy supply.

More information here:

• Demand for mandatory photovoltaics