ᐅ Is it practical to install a photovoltaic system on the west or east side of a building?

hampshire schrieb:

Hopefully, that won't happen anymore. Photovoltaics are market-ready and no longer need subsidies.

I would be interested in seeing the calculation for private rooftops.

If I calculate the economics for my 24.5 kWp system with a market price of 3 cents and a self-sufficiency rate of 35% without storage, I end up pretty much breaking even after 20 years. That would be too risky for me, as it could easily turn into a money-losing proposition.
Something is market-ready if it generates profit. I would say that a photovoltaic system on a private roof without feed-in tariffs has not been profitable so far, so I wouldn’t call it market-ready without the feed-in tariff either.

I very much hope that some form of support continues, otherwise the photovoltaics market will collapse significantly, with all the consequences that entails.

@Specki
Bookstar mentioned a new subsidy that would be necessary. According to hampshire, that is not necessary at all.

On the contrary, the return on investment (funded by citizens through the Renewable Energy Act) in my opinion is actually too high. In 2019, I had 8.5% before taxes and without considering energy consumption. You’d have to be crazy not to equip your own roof. I would gladly take your 24 kWp.

Specki schrieb:

I would be interested in the calculation for private roofs.

You just have to change your way of thinking. The "business model" changes.
The calculation is very simple. You generate your own electricity at a cost approximately 20+ cents (x = increase in energy purchase price) cheaper than the purchase price. You size the system to optimize self-consumption—with an autonomy rate of about 75%.

Specki schrieb:

When I look at the cost-effectiveness for my 24.5 kWp system…

A system that large, which exceeds private consumption many times over, will initially be less interesting for private individuals. In a few years, a direct sales market based on blockchain technology will emerge. Then you can trade directly with electricity customers and won’t be tied to the electricity market price.

Specki schrieb:

I really hope subsidies will continue in some form; otherwise, the photovoltaic market will collapse significantly, with all the consequences.

The photovoltaic subsidies in Germany, which delivered an almost unreasonably high return, were initiated by Environment Minister Trittin. He knew that the financial attractiveness had to be very high to also afford an extremely costly, high-quality sales network. Why so much? The industry was meant to grow very quickly and become competitive enough so that, in the event of a government change, it would not be dismantled again due to lobby influence by the opposition. This goal has been achieved. Today, photovoltaics are profitable.
An excellent example of a successfully implemented subsidy policy. I would now wish for something similar for fuel cells and hydrogen as energy carriers.
Thank you very much, Mr. Trittin.

Accusing Black people of having lobby influence that would have destroyed photovoltaics, while at the same time praising a politician who attends the Bilderberg Conference. But this isn’t a politics forum here.

With rather low self-sufficiency, one should not forget the partly already offered new system of the Solar Cloud (a kind of virtual electricity storage). In summer, you feed your photovoltaic electricity into the cloud and in winter, you draw from the grid for free.

That’s why I still believe that all possible roof areas of single-family houses, garages, etc., that are suitable up to a certain efficiency level, should be covered with photovoltaic panels.

guckuck2 schrieb:

@Specki
Bookstar mentioned a new subsidy that would be necessary. That’s not needed at all, as hampshire pointed out.

On the contrary, the return (paid by citizens via the Renewable Energy Act) is, in my opinion, even too high. In 2019, I had 8.5% before taxes, not accounting for energy consumption. You’d have to be crazy not to install solar panels on your own roof. I’d be happy with your 24 kWp

Come on. The stock market index yields an average of 14% per year over a similar timeframe. You might as well pack up your solar panels on the house, which will become hazardous waste later.

Photovoltaics are not profitable enough. It’s fine that there are enthusiasts and people who find the technology cool, but from an investment perspective, it just doesn’t pay off.

ludwig88sta schrieb:

With rather low self-sufficiency, one should not forget the partly already offered new system of the solar cloud (a kind of virtual electricity storage). Feeding your photovoltaic electricity into the cloud in summer and drawing it cost-free from the grid in winter.

How is that supposed to work technically? In my opinion, these are pure electricity contracts with deliberately opaque conditions. Nothing is actually stored.

If you consider the community as a "cloud," I would agree with you. But no contracts are needed for that. Photovoltaic electricity that is not used by yourself isn’t lost. That’s why storage systems or optimizations aiming at self-sufficiency have so far not been ecologically justified.

ludwig88sta schrieb:

That’s why I still believe all possible roof surfaces of single-family houses, garages, etc., which are suitable up to a certain efficiency level, should be covered with photovoltaic panels.

I agree. Thanks to subsidies, it’s financially worthwhile for the individual, even if others use your electricity.