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Solar power in Germany consists almost exclusively of photovoltaics (PV) and accounted for an estimated 6.2 to 6.9 percent of the country's net-electricity generation in 2014.〔 〕〔 〕 The country has been the world's top PV installer for several years and still leads in terms of the overall installed capacity, that amounted to 39,484 megawatts (MW) by the end of October 2015, ahead of China, Japan, Italy, and the United States.〔 About 1.5 million photovoltaic systems are installed all over the country, ranging from small rooftop systems, to medium commercial and large utility-scale solar parks, that altogether contributed 35.2 terawatt-hours (TWh), or about 6.9 percent in 2014 (preliminary estimate).〔 This brings the country's share of renewable electricity to about 31 percent, and in line with the official governmental goal of reaching 35 percent by the end of the decade.〔 However, new installations of PV systems have declined steadily since the record year of 2011 and continued to do so throughout 2015.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Germany adds about 610 MWp of solar PV in H1 2015 )〕 It's estimated that about half of the country's jobs have been lost in the solar sector in recent years. While proponents from the PV industry blame the lack of governmental commitment, others point out the financial burden associated with the fast paced roll-out of photovoltaics, rendering the transition to renewable energies unsustainable in their view. The official governmental goal is to continuously increase renewables' contribution to the country's overall electricity consumption. Long-term minimum targets are 35% by 2020, 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.〔 The country is increasingly producing more electricity than it needs, driving down spot-market prices〔(Electricity Spot-Prices and Production Data in Germany 2013 )〕 and exporting its surplus of electricity to its neighboring countries (record exported surplus of 32 TWh in 2013 and 34 TWh in 2014).〔 〕 Paradoxically, a decline in spot-prices may well raise the electricity prices for retail customers, as the spread of the guaranteed feed-in tariff and spot-price increases as well.〔 As the combined share of fluctuating wind and solar is approaching 17 percent on the national electricity mix, other issues are becoming more pressing. These include, adapting the electrical grid, constructing new grid-storage capacity, dismantling and altering fossil and nuclear power plants – brown coal and nuclear power are the country's cheapest suppliers of electricity, according to today's calculations – and to construct a new generation of combined heat and power plants.〔 The nation's largest solar farms are located in Meuro, Neuhardenberg and Templin, with capacities beyond 100 MW. Also, concentrated solar power (CSP), another solar power technology that does not use photovoltaics, has virtually no significance for Germany, as this technology demands much higher solar insolation. There is, however, a 1.5-megawatt experimental CSP-plant used for on-site engineering purposes rather than for commercial electricity generation, the Jülich Solar Tower owned by the German Aerospace Center. Moreover, solar heating does not use solar energy for power generation and is therefore not included in this article. == Overview == The German solar PV industry installed 7.6 gigawatts (GW) in 2012〔(German solar power installations at record high in 2012 )〕 and 7.5 GW in 2011, and solar PV provided 18 TWh of electricity in 2011, about 3% of total electricity.〔 On midday of Saturday May 26, 2012, solar energy provided over 40% of total electricity consumption in Germany, and 20% for the 24h-day. The federal government has set a target of 66 GW of installed solar PV capacity by 2030, to be reached with an annual increase of 2.5–3.5 GW,〔 〕 and a goal of 80% of electricity from renewable sources by 2050.〔(Germany ) 〕 From 3.5 GW to 4 GW are expected to be installed in 2013. Solar power in Germany has been growing considerably due to the country's feed-in tariffs for renewable energy which were introduced by the German Renewable Energy Act. Prices of PV systems have decreased more than 50% in 5 years since 2006.〔(BSW-Solar – Statistische Zahlen der deutschen Solarstrombranche (Photovoltaik), Oct 2011 )〕 , the FiT costs about €14 billion (US$18 billion) per year for wind and solar installations. The cost is spread across all rate-payers in a surcharge of 3.6 €ct (4.6 ¢) per kWh (approximately 15% of the total domestic cost of electricity).〔(Electricity )〕 On the other hand, as expensive peak power plants are displaced, the price at the power exchange is reduced due to the so-called merit order effect. Germany set a world record for solar power production with 25.8 GW produced at midday on April 20 and April 21, 2015.〔(EEX Transparency Platform: Actual Solar Power Generation (chart) )〕 According to the solar power industry, a feed-in tariff is the most effective means of developing solar power.〔(The U.S. Needs a Feed-in Tariff )〕 It is the same as a power purchase agreement, but is at a much higher rate. As the industry matures, it is reduced and becomes the same as a power purchase agreement. A feed-in tariff allows investors a guaranteed return on investment - a requirement for development. A primary difference between a tax credit and a feed-in tariff is that the cost is borne the year of installation with a tax credit, and is spread out over many years with a feed-in tariff. In both cases the incentive cost is distributed over all consumers. This means that the initial cost is very low for a feed-in tariff and very high for a tax credit. In both cases the learning curve reduces the cost of installation, but is not a large contribution to growth, as grid parity is still always reached.〔(PV Learning Curves:Past and Future Drivers of Cost Reduction )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Solar power in Germany」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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