Solar power supply for German power system

Germany promotes the expansion of solar systems through regular tenders, state feed-in tariffs, market premiums and financial advantages for self-consumption and tenant electricity. These are regulated by the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) and would be important for promoting the expansion of solar power.

In July 2024, Germany recorded its monthly record solar power output level to date of 10.1 terawatt hours (TWh) – despite sunshine levels being lower than the previous year. Solar power accounted for around 43 percent of the 23.6 TWh of electricity generated from renewables in that month, according to data from the economy ministry (BMWK).

Solar arrays can contribute a much greater share to the German power mix during particularly sunny times. In July 2024, Germany recorded its monthly record solar power output level to date of 10.1 terawatt hours (TWh) – despite sunshine levels being lower than the previous year.

Most solar power plants in Germany are connected to the low-voltage grid; Figure 19 illustrates how they are distributed according to plant size.

There are now around 7.4 million solar systems in Germany with a capacity of almost 100 gigawatts; on sunny days, so much electricity from renewable energies is fed into the grid that there are sometimes negative spot market prices on the electricity exchange.

Due to losses caused by technical issues that resulted in performance ratio values below 90 percent (see Section 28.7) and inconsistent weather conditions, the maximum solar power generation in Germany is estimated to be around 75 percent of the installed nom-inal power.