Dortmund, Germany (CNN Business) People on the front lines of Europe’s gas crisis are struggling to get solar panels for their homes and businesses as they face a “perfect storm” that is driving up energy prices. at record levels.
In the first six months of this year, Germany saw a 22% increase in the installation of solar systems, compared to the same period last year, according to data shared with CNN Business by the German Solar Association. This included residential and commercial uses, from small private rooftop installations to large solar parks, the group said.
For companies in the renewable energy industry, that has created a huge increase in sales and added strain on supply chains.
Demand for solar power was already surging in Europe’s largest economy, as energy prices rose, political incentives were introduced and adoption of the technology became widespread. But more recently, consumers have also grappled with rising utility bills, scorching temperatures and renewed anxiety about whether they’ll be able to keep the heat on this winter.
Since invading Ukraine six months ago, Russia has drastically reduced its gas supplies to Germany and other EU countries. Last week, it announced the unscheduled shutdown of its Nord Stream 1 pipeline at the end of this month for maintenance, pushing natural gas spot prices to a new record high.
For many households, the biggest fear is that Russia will completely turn off the tap this winter. The German government has already put in place a crisis management plan that could involve rationing companies if that happens.
“This [demand] has only been strengthened by the war against Ukraine, which is happening on our doorstep,” David Wedepohl, managing director of the German Solar Association, told CNN Business.
“This is something that is very much on people’s minds.”
German officials have responded to the crisis by asking consumers to save energy. Some municipalities have already reacted by withdrawing basic needs such as electricity, showers and heating.
Jim Gordon, CEO of Smartflower, said the geopolitical turmoil had also pushed more people to switch to solar power. The company provides sunflower-shaped solar power devices to corporate campuses, universities, and homes.
“Our business is booming because there’s a perfect storm of elements converging and really lifting solar power,” Gordon told CNN Business.
“People are worried about energy security,” he said. “An autocratic dictator can turn off the valve on a gas pipeline and cut off power, but no one can control the sun.”
Soaring sales
Schneider Electric (SBGSF), a European industrial and energy giant, says that demand for its solar-powered heating systems in Germany has “nearly doubled” so far this year compared to the same period in 2021. To see also : How solar energy is made ?.
The company’s sustainability arm, which advises companies on purchasing clean energy, has also reached “an all-time high” in consultancy requests, according to Konstantin Elstermann, the company’s vice president of home and distribution.
Similarly, Sonnen, a German supplier of solar batteries, has seen its orders “more than double compared to last year,” due to a “greater desire for [people] to run their homes on renewable energy,” it said. CEO Oliver Koch.
In a statement to CNN Business, Koch said his team had noted “a further increase in demand since the end of February” when the war began, and was “continuously expanding our production capacity to keep pace with demand.”
Demand is so high that Smartflower now expects to quadruple its sales in Germany this year, according to CEO Robert Sawyer.
“We have done more business in the first six months of 2022 in Germany than in all of 2021,” Sawyer said, adding that sales in the country had doubled so far this year.
Supply chain hurdles
However, such booms do not come without challenges. To see also : Biden is taking action to ease the trade turmoil that threatens his solar energy ambitions.
The industry is currently facing a severe labor shortage, Schneider Electric’s Elstermann said.
“Some electricians are booked three to six months in advance,” he told CNN Business.
“This bottleneck almost overcomes the current shortage of raw material and production capacity. We know that the supply problems due to the pandemic are temporary, but the shortage of skilled labor remains,” said Elstermann.
Wedepohl said the industry was rushing to address the issue. Many electricians who left their jobs over the past decade have “re-entered” the market, while roofers are also being called in to help with installations, he added.
“A lot of installers are doing extra shifts, training people, bringing in new people,” he said. “It’s a challenge, but it’s definitely a moment where we hope we can rise to the occasion.”
The sustainability question
For now, Germany has resorted to firing up its coal-fired power plants to reduce its gas consumption and ensure the country keeps the lights on.
But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has made it clear that the government is not happy about that.
“It is bitter that we now have to temporarily use some power plants that we had already shut down due to Russia’s brutal attack on Ukraine. But it’s only for a while,” he said in a message last month.
Similar conversations are taking place across Europe.
This year, the UK also announced a push for other energy sources, including wind and nuclear power. And for some consumers, alternatives to gas heating, like wood-burning fireplaces, have become more popular.
This month, Austrian climate minister Leonore Gewessler called for more green energy projects to help the country wean itself off Russian gas.
“We need to break out of this dependency: cubic meter by cubic meter, windmill by windmill, PV array by PV array,” he told CNN’s Sara Sidner, referring to the units used in building solar power capacity and wind.
“Because we see our reliance on fossil fuels being used as a weapon in a war,” Gewessler said.
“Winter is coming,” Wedepohl said, noting that most homes in Germany were heated by gas. “The Europeans … are also in this quite collectively.”
— CNN’s Chris Liakos and AJ Davis contributed to this report.
Renewable energy in Germany is mainly based on wind and biomass, in addition to solar and hydro. Germany had the largest installed PV capacity in the world until 2014, and as of 2021 it has more than 58 GW.
Are German solar panels the best?
German made vs. If you’re worried about low-quality Chinese panels, selecting a German-made solar panel reduces your risk. Germany is one of the top 10 manufacturing countries in the world. Therefore, German panels are of high quality, reliable, have a higher price and are worth it.
What brand of solar panels are made in Germany?
Which brand is the best solar panels?
The best solar panels for houses of 2022
- Silfab: our overall pick.
- SunPower: Our choice for efficiency.
- Panasonic: Our choice for premium panels.
- LG: Our pick for accessibility.
- Q Cells: Our selection of warranty options.
- Canadian Solar – Our pick for affordability.
- Trina Solar: Our selection of affordable panels. Solar calculator.
Are LG solar panels made in China?
At LG, we don’t believe in outsourcing the production of our solar products. We produce all of our solar panels at our own in-house manufacturing facilities in Gumi, South Korea and Huntsville, Alabama.
What solar panel does LG use?
400W High Efficiency LG NeON®2 Bifacial Solar Panel All LG photovoltaic modules are monocrystalline panels, allowing them to deliver excellent module efficiency and power output. With more watts per panel, you will need fewer panels because the higher the wattage, the more electricity a single panel can produce.
Why is LG no longer making solar panels?
The COVID-19 pandemic limited production in 2020, and supply chain issues further weakened production in 2021. LG cited rising material and logistics costs, as well as severe supply constraints, as major reasons behind the decision to stop manufacturing solar panels.
Are German made solar panels good?
The Germans are world famous for producing some of the best quality products in the world by mastering reliability and durability in the finished product. This also applies to solar panels.
Where are German solar panels made?
There are some companies that like to play on Germany’s reputation for quality, but make all their panels in China.
Which country makes the best solar panels?
China leads the world as the top solar power producer, installing more than 48 GW of photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2020. The EU, the US, Vietnam and Japan are ranked as the top solar power producers.
Which country makes the best solar panels?
China leads the world as the top solar power producer, installing more than 48 GW of photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2020. The EU, the US, Vietnam and Japan are ranked as the top solar power producers.
Which is the best solar panel in the world?
Key takeaways. The top 5 solar panel brands (Experts’ Choice) are Panasonic, LG, Canadian Solar, Trina Solar, and SunPower. The most efficient solar panel currently available in the US is the SunPower A series, which is 22.80% efficient.
How much solar energy is produced in Arizona?
Arizona ranks fifth among states in solar-powered electricity generation. In 2021, renewable energy from both utility and small-scale installations (less than 1 megawatt) provided approximately 16% of Arizona’s total net generation. Nearly three-fifths of that total came from solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal power.
Why isn’t there more solar power in AZ? Political Climate Nasty public battles between the solar industry, utilities and state government over net metering have been ongoing for years, which is what some experts cite as the cause of the drop in solar installations in the state.
How much does Arizona use solar energy?
According to a study by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research, Arizona installed more than 55 megawatts of solar power in 2010, doubling its increase from 21 MW in 2009, ranking behind California (259 MW), New Jersey (137 MW), Florida (110 MW), and Nevada (61 MW).
How much of Arizona’s electricity comes from solar?
In 2021, 99% of Arizona’s total net electricity generation came from 6 sources: natural gas (43%); nuclear power (28%); charcoal (13%); solar energy (9%); hydroelectric (5%): and wind (1%). Hydroelectric pumped storage, oil and biomass supplied the rest.
Which state consumes the most solar energy?
California has by far the largest installed solar PV capacity of any US state. As of September 2020, California had a cumulative solar power capacity of over 29 gigawatts. Texas followed with a capacity of about 6.8 gigawatts.
What percentage of Arizona homes have solar?
There were a total of 4,870 solar homes sold in Phoenix, including both leased and owned rooftop solar homes. Solar homes represented 6.7% of all homes sold in the Phoenix area, up from 5.7% we saw in 2019. Median solar home price hit $358,000 for all solar homes.
Which state is the largest producer of solar energy?
Karnataka, in southwestern India, is the state that produces the most solar energy. Karnataka is far ahead of the other states, with a total installed solar power capacity of around 7,100 MW, not including the 1,000 MW of projects on hold.
Who is the largest producer of solar energy?
China leads the world as the top solar power producer, installing more than 48 GW of photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2020. The EU, the US, Vietnam and Japan are ranked as the top solar power producers.
Which state is the largest producer of solar energy in India 2022?
Which state in India is the largest producer of solar energy? Karnataka, the southwestern state, tops the list of solar power producing states in India. With a total installed capacity of solar energy of about 7,100MW.
Which state produces the most solar energy?
Handily ahead of its rivals, California remains the clear leader when it comes to solar power in the US, with nearly 23 GW of installed solar power. Nearly 17 percent of California’s electricity comes from solar power, and the sector there employs more than 86,000 people.
How many houses in Germany have solar panels?
By the end of 2020, around 1.3 million photovoltaic systems were installed in single-family and two-family houses in Germany.
Does Germany use the most solar energy? Germany is the world’s largest solar PV market, having installed more PV in one year than ever before in the US. 85 percent of that PV is on rooftops. German farmers have benefited enormously, receiving up to 25 percent of their income from the generation and sale of renewable energy to the grid.
How many houses are powered by solar panels?
Since then, the number of American homes with installed solar panels has increased an average of 32% a year, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. At the end of 2020, there were about 2.7 million residential solar systems in the US.
How many houses could the sun power?
From just 0.34 GW in 2008, US solar power capacity has grown to an estimated 97.2 gigawatts (GW) today. This is enough to power the equivalent of 18 million average American homes.
How many houses in the UK use solar panels?
Residential. According to the UK government’s 2020 report, there are approximately 970,000 homes in the UK with solar panel installations.
What percentage of US homes have solar panels?
Incentives like these, coupled with more affordable prices, mean solar panel installations are on the rise in the U.S. The cost of installing solar power has dropped by more than 70% over the last decade, according to the Energy Industries Association Sun (SEIA). About 4% of homes in the US are solar powered.
What percentage of homes in Germany have solar?
Solar power in Germany consists almost exclusively of photovoltaics (PV) and accounted for about 8.2 percent of the country’s gross electricity generation in 2019.
What percentage of homes use solar energy?
Incentives like these, coupled with more affordable prices, mean solar panel installations are on the rise in the U.S. The cost of installing solar power has dropped by more than 70% over the last decade, according to the Energy Industries Association Sun (SEIA). About 4% of homes in the US are solar powered.
How much solar does Germany have?
Germany added around 5.3 gigawatts of solar power capacity in 2021, up 10% from the previous year, according to the solar industry association. Around 10% of Germany’s electricity consumption is covered by solar generation. Germany is already the European leader in renewable energies.
What country on earth uses the most electricity?
When it comes to consumption, China is the country that uses the most with 25.9%, followed by the United States with 17.5%.
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