According to this report, not only was the renewables sector able to avoid the economic crisis to a large extent, it even increased its share in energy supply in Germany, and as a result of rising investments was able to record a further growth in employment figures. More than 300,000 people now work in this sector. "Renewable energies have proved that they can stand firm in the economic crisis", commented Minister Röttgen.
€17 billion in investments
While electricity generation from conventional energy forms decreased in 2009, renewables remained stable - their share in electricity consumption rose further to 16.1 percent. In comparison with the previous year there was also a significant increase in biogas, photovoltaic and wind-power installations. Investments in the renewables sector reached a record total of €17.7 billion. The number of employees rose once again. Over 300,000 people, around 8% more than in the previous year, found a relatively secure job in the renewables sector.
"There is still a long way to go on the road to sustainable energy supply. This is why the German government's energy concept, which we will present in autumn, sets out a perspective up to the year 2050," explained Minister Röttgen. He considers German companies to be in an excellent position: "The International Energy Agency predicts that almost 5000 billion dollars will be invested worldwide in renewable energies over the next 20 years. The assessment for 2009 shows that German companies are very well placed, thanks to favourable national framework conditions, to be leaders on global markets."
Tariff cuts for solar
This said, at the beginning of May, the German parliament lowered the feed-in tariffs for solar power in response to the drop in prices for photovoltaic unitsof around 30% in the last year. “We are making the necessary corrections to reduce the compensation to a reasonable level and limit the costs for the consumer while still continuing to increase solar power’s share of the market,” said Röttgen. The resolution reduces the compensation rates by an additional 16% for roof units and by 11% for solar parks over and above the degression as laid down in the Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz (Renewable Energy Sources Act). At the same time, the amendment strengthens the position of power production for personal use: households that consume the solar power they produce will gain up to eight eurocents per kilowatt hour.
The German political establishment has also agreed to substantially raise the target installation rate of solar photovoltaic systems from 1,100 MW-1,700 MW per year in 2010 to 2,500 MW-3,500 MW per year.
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