Germans want more solar expansion as hardware prices continue to fall
Clean Energy Wire / Handelsblatt
Nearly four in five people (78%) in Germany say they want the expansion of solar installations in the country to speed up or at least continue at a fast pace, with only 14 percent of respondents saying they want to reduce solar installations, according to a YouGov survey commissioned by solar industry group BSW solar.
At 86 percent support, voters of the conservative governing party Christian Democrats (CDU) were above the average in their support for solar power, with three in four also saying subsidies for solar panels should be increased or remain unchanged. The results contrast the CDU-led economy ministry's draft plans to cut subsidies for renewables across the country, in particular for rooftop solar power installations, to reduce costs as well as strain on electricity grids.
The survey came alongside new data from housing company Immoscout24 and price-comparison site Selfmade, which indicated that the price of a solar installation fell by nine percent in Germany last year to slightly above 11,000 euros for the average single-family home, business daily Handelsblatt reported.
The price of a combined solar array and battery storage system fell even more steeply than panels alone last year (14.5%) to about 14,200 euros, although large price differences remained between states. The analysis compared 250,000 quotes for solar and storage systems of between 12 to 25 panels, a typical range for a single-family home.
The government’s plans to cut rooftop solar subsidies sparked concern among solar companies. BSW-Solar said that the expansion of rooftop solar in private homes could be more than half if these plans came into effect. "The plans threaten tens of thousands of jobs in the domestic solar and storage industry, which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises," said Carsten Körnig, head of the association.
If implemented, the cuts would not only slow down the energy transition in the electricity sector, but also hamper the already sluggish transition in the heating and mobility sectors, Körnig argued. “The availability of affordable solar power is a prerequisite for many consumers to be able to afford an electric car or a heat pump.” Economy minister Katherina Reiche has argued that the technology has matured enough to compete without state support.