SOLAR GENERATION - Greenpeace

PART THREE: THE SOLAR RACE
As the vast potential of solar power as a clean energy source
begins to emerge, national governments around the world have
started to support its development through both research and
market support. Pursuing their regional and international
commitments to combat the effects of climate change, a
number of countries have given strong backing to an emerging
solar market. Importantly, they have also persuaded their
general publics that there are important social and
environmental benefits to be captured.
The argument in countries like Japan and Germany is
straightforward: by offering market incentives for the installation
and operation of solar arrays, a dynamic relationship is
created between market promotion and industrial growth,
eventually encouraging a flourishing manufacturing base and
export potential. The environmental dividend is a cleaner
planet. These are the leaders in a solar race which will soon see
others joining the pursuit.
Germany
• PV capacity end 2003: 416 MWp
• Support system: Premium price per kWh, financing opportunities
from the German Bank for Reconstruction
Germany is the European leader in solar energy. Having already
developed the world’s largest installed capacity of electricity
generating wind turbines, Europe’s most populous state is now
looking to push photovoltaics into an equally prominent
position.
In terms of installed capacity, Germany overtook the USA in
2001 to achieve second position globally behind Japan. At the
end of 2003 total capacity had reached 416 MWp, with 130 MWp
installed last year alone. In the 2001 edition of Solar Generation
it was ambitiously estimated that the country could achieve a
figure of 438 MWp by 2004. This has in fact been almost reached
by the end of 2003, and with the expectation that more than
650 MWp will be installed by the end of 2004.
In the background to this success is the German Social
Democrat/Green government’s Kyoto-led commitment to
reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases by 21% over the period
1990 to 2008-11. This will be achieved by a mixture of shifting
energy production towards cleaner sources and a programme
of energy efficiency. Two successive pieces of legislation have
been crucially important in supporting the first of these aims -
the 100,000 roofs programme started in 1999 and the 2000
Renewable Energy Law, updated in 2004. One result is that the
wind energy industry has seen a capacity of over 15,000 MW
installed, representing roughly 5% of electricity supply, and an
Figure 3.1: Installed PV in Germany by sub-market
400
Source: IEA- PVPS
Cumulative installed PV-Power
300
250
grid-connected centralized
grid-connected distributed
off-grid non-domestic
off-grid domestic
200
Cumulative installed PV Power [MWpeak]
150
100
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