BERLIN, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- More than one million new solar systems for generating electricity or heat were installed in Germany in 2023, marking a historic high, the German Solar Association (BSW) said on Tuesday.
Data from the Federal Network Agency showed that solar power systems with a peak output of around 14 gigawatts were newly commissioned on roofs and open spaces, representing an 85 percent increase in photovoltaic capacity compared to 2022, BSW added.
Germany's stock of photovoltaic systems grew to 3.7 million, producing 62 billion kilowatt-hours last year, contributing to around 12 percent of the country's electricity consumption, according to BSW.
The association expects electricity demand to remain high in 2024 due to "further increases in electricity prices and attractive subsidy conditions."
At the end of September last year, a new program with a budget of 300 million euros (328 million U.S. dollars) for homeowners to charge electric cars with solar power was exhausted after less than 24 hours due to the "enormous interest and high demand," state-owned development bank KfW said.
In 2024, more than 1.5 million private property owners are planning to install a solar system on their roofs, according to a survey by market research institute YouGov.
The "expansion of new photovoltaic systems is progressing steadily, with high growth rates," the German government said last year. The 2023 expansion target for solar energy of 9 gigawatts (GW) was already reached four months ahead of time.
As part of Germany's ambitious energy transition, annual expansion targets for solar were raised as well. From 2026, more than three times as much solar energy is to be added than before. Europe's largest economy aims to cover 80 percent of its electricity supply with renewables by 2030. (1 euro = 1.10 U.S. dollar)
