The Germans and Solar Power

Català: Planta de concentració fotovoltaica a Torregrossa (Lleida) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Germany has recently reported record growth in its solar power industry, despite fears that a decline in solar subsidies from the federal government last year could adversely impact this superstar sector in the country's renewable energy mix. As thenergycollective.com recently reported: "Figures released by the Federal Network Agency (FNA) show that the peak output of the country's solar facilities grew to 7,500 megawatts (MW) in 2011. The FNA, which oversees Germany's energy sector, said that in December a megawatt peak figure of 2,980 was reported." This same post, by Nino Marchetti, went on to underscore Germany's key role as a driving force of the solar sector worldwide: "Germany is one of the world's leading producers of solar energy, producing enough power last year to supply 5.1 million German households. The country's network of photovoltaic cells raised electricity output in 2011 by 60 percent over 2010 to 18 billion kilowatt hours. That represents over 3 percent of the national power grid. In fact, to give an indication of just how far ahead Germany's solar industry has reached, the country produces more solar power in a month than the United States does in a year." At the same time, the boom in renewable energies continues to create new jobs in Germany. According to a recently published study commissioned by the Federal Environment Ministry, the development and production of renewable energy technologies and the supply of electricity, heat and fuel from renewable sources provided around 382,000 jobs in 2011. There have of course been widespread media reports about the unfortunate demise of some solar companies in Germany of late due to the withdrawel of certain government subsidies for the sector (most recently Q-Cells was the latest in a string of solar companies to declare bankruptcy). To be sure, if something bad happens to a solar company in Germany, the entire global industry takes note. But, at the same time, Germany's path to a Third Industrial Revolution, or the transformation to a new energy economy, continues full steam ahead, creating plenty of jobs in the process. Karen Carstens Editor, The Week in Germany Webteam Germany.info