Germany has made history in the world of solar energy by breaking its own record for photovoltaic (PV) power generation. On May 4, the country's PV systems contributed over 40 GW of power to the national grid for the first time, according to Bruno Burger, head of Energy Charts at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE.
Burger tweeted his analysis of the new record, which was achieved at around 1 pm on May 4, 2023. The PV systems in Germany contributed a total of 1,744.46 GWh of solar power into the grid in the first week of May, accounting for 23.6% of net electricity generation. This is higher than the contribution made by lignite, which had a share of 19.9%, and onshore wind power with 19.1%.
The first week of May was a good week for solar power generation in Germany, thanks to bright sunshine and rather cool temperatures. This helped to lower the retail electricity price, with the price of electricity on the spot market even falling into slightly negative territory on Sunday afternoon. During the record PV feed-in on May 4, the price dropped to €43 euros per MWh from the peak of €163 euros per MWh on May 3.
See also: Germany Aims to Significantly Expand Solar Energy with New Photovoltaic Strategy
The high feed-in from PV and wind power helped renewables account for 66.8% of net public electricity generation in the first days of May, according to Energy Charts.
NEUER REKORD !!!
Solaranlagen in Deutschland haben heute erstmals mehr als 40 GW Leistung ins Netz eingespeist.https://t.co/A84PMxfVL9 pic.twitter.com/V7fGyfCZVQ— Bruno Burger (@energy_charts_d) May 4, 2023
The increase in solar power generation is a positive step for Germany, which is aiming to reach a target of 80% renewable energy by 2050. With continued investment in solar energy infrastructure and technology, Germany is well on its way to achieving its goal of a greener future.
