Third German solar PV auction in 2019 again oversubscribed

Germany’s third solar PV auction in 2019 was once again oversubscribed, writes Germany’s network agency BNetzA in a press release. The agency says that it received bids with a total capacity of almost 560 MW and awarded those with a capacity of roughly 205 MW, with most projects located in eastern and southern Germany. The average support level for all bids submitted was 5.47 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), a “significant decrease” compared to the previous auction’s 6.59 ct/kWh, writes BNetzA. The lowest accepted bid was 4.97 ct/kWh.

After the last oversubscribed auction, the German solar power industry had called on the government to loosen restrictions and free up land to expand solar capacity. The German government coalition has revised the 2030 target for renewables share in electricity consumption to 65 percent. In 2018, renewables made up about 38 percent of power used in Germany. A greater share of wind, solar and other renewables is necessary as Germany will gradually phase out nuclear and coal power in the next years. Researchers have said Germany must come up with a comprehensive strategy to boost the expansion of solar power, especially within cities and by homeowners, to make better use of the technology’s vast potential.