Soaring energy prices, growing environmental awareness as well as the increasing electrification of heat and mobility drive photovoltaic installations. Following the record year, 2021 with 1.6 GW of small-scale PV systems up to 15 kWp, forecasts an increase of 1.8 GW in this segment for the current year. In 2022, 10-15 kWp systems are especially expected to grow, while installations between 5-10 kWp continue to stagnate. As in previous years, the relevance of the German small-scale segment continues to increase in 2022. In 2021, 30% of PV systems in Germany had a capacity up to 15 kWp; in 2022 the share is anticipated to increase to 36%.
The booming small-scale PV market goes hand in hand with an increasing system size, which is reflected in the growing PV segment between 1-15 kWp. Increasing solar yields on private rooftops reveal the effect of rising electrification of heat and mobility. In a recent survey, 500 owners of single- and two-family houses had been interviewed regarding their solar power consumption. This shows that about two-thirds of households cover or aim to cover their regular electricity consumption first. Almost every other interviewee views energy storage for solar power consumption or its distribution in their homes as essential. One-third and one-fourth of the survey participants plan to use self-generated solar power for heating and electric cars respectively.
The high importance of self-generated solar power for the transition to electric mobility is visible in the combination of investment plans for owning a PV system and the importance to own a private charging station for an electric vehicle. Owner of a photovoltaic system view a charging station for electric cars with 95% as important and very important. Households engaging more intensively with the option to acquire a solar system also attribute higher importance to charging stations with 80 and 77% respectively. This percentage is reduced to 69% for homeowners without PV system investment plans. This result confirms that PV system owners and planners deal intensively with the use of self-generated solar power; electric mobility seems to be regarded as an ideal consumer.
“In the context of strongly increasing energy prices, self-consumption based on clean and cheap solar power right off one’s roof is becoming increasingly important for homeowners. The investment in a PV system stimulates the purchase of electric cars”, comments Dr Martin Ammon, Managing Partner at EUPD Research.
