Germany to continue with the Residential Energy Storage Subsidies

In November, the German government decided to end a 30% credit for energy storage systems by the end of this year. But the subsidy will now continue in some form. Currently, state assistance also includes low-interest loans, in addition to the credit.

Planned cuts to energy storage subsidies in Germany have been reversed, for now. Illustration by Powerwise-energy. 

The subsidy has been instrumental in fueling uptake of battery storage, from almost nothing two years ago, to as many as an estimated 13,000 units in total by the end of this year.

The subsidy, which is provided by the federal government via the German state-owned development bank KfW, was originally created in May 2013 to encourage the uptake of solar-plus-storage.

According to the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, that goal had been met. The subsidy was so successful, argued the ministry, that it was no longer needed. 

Why the sudden change of heart

Some motivational factors behind the reversal of decision:

• After  a final rush to install systems at the end of the year, growth in the home storage market would diminish by 13% in 2016. It was predicted that the market would worsen in 2017.


• The negative impact on the domestic solar industry. Feed-in tariffs for new installations have already been slashed, making the home-consumption model of storing excess solar electricity a more attractive model for new solar adopters. 


• Without the 30% credit and cheap loans, customers may think twice before investing in any form of solar.

Although still a minor factor in the overall storage picture in Germany, domestic units have large aggregate potential.

"If all suitable households get a solar system and a battery, the storage capacity will exceed the capacity of all existing pumped storage power plants in Germany."  - Dr. Volker Quaschning,  University of Applied Sciences for Engineering and Economics, Berlin.

Obstacles for large-scale storage in Germany

Currently, just under 14% of all new PV installations include storage.

Grid-scale storage is considered a consumer of electricity, meaning that both the storage operator and the subsequent consumer have to pay the country's EEG-Umlage, a renewable energy surcharge. In effect, the energy gets taxed twice!

The Green Mechanics:
Energy storage is no big deal in our country, or at least not yet a significant topic to talk about during energy meetings. But, the notion that we are about to discontinue the Feed-in Tariff mechanism for solar PV - possibly in a year's time - shows that we are not a contender for RE front runners in SEA region.

- Reference: GreenTechMedia

Germany launched €16 million organic PV R&D project

Germany is seen as the world leader in promoting and implementing renewable energies and in particular solar PV. It seems that with the new organic PV R&D initiative, it continues to be the leader in this particular industry.


This latest push for organic photovoltaics could be just what the industry needs. Image - PV-Mag


Organic photovoltaic R&D project

Germany’s BMBF has backed a Merck-led research and development inititiave in OPV technology to the tune of €8.2 million.

Labeled the POPUP project, Merck – a German pharmaceutical, chemical and life science company – will spearhead the consortium, which consists of ten technology leaders, each possessing various expertise in the field of OPV.

With BMBF’s financial backing, the total budget of this three-year project is €16 million (around RM68 million), and its objective is to develop more efficient and stable OPV materials for use in the solar power industry. The POPUP project will also look to develop more adaptable and flexible device material capable of supporting rigid, opaque and semi-transparent modules.

In the longer term, it is hoped that this research into OPV can help lower costs, allowing for mass adoption of the technology, and perhaps even integration into next-gen automobiles in order to supply clean and consistent power to onboard electronic systems.

The technology’s inherent aesthetic value also makes it a desirable option for architects keen on creating solar-powered glass facades. The new technologies can also be used to charge mobile devices and even be fitted for off-grid applications.

Merck’s role, according to an official press statement, will be to coordinate the research of the ten partners, while also performing the "development and synthesis of the cutting-edge materials as well as the chemical-physical characterization and evaluation in simple device structures."


Source: pv-magazine

Berlin Wall Memorial uprooted for condo project

Remember Atkinson Tower, the one sitting on the fringe of Kota Kinabalu city?

It's a colonial clock tower and is one of the very few structures that are still standing today. The British built quite a number of things of historical value but in the name of modernisation (or the lack of it?) they were replaced or simply torn down.

The Atkinson Tower, also called Atkinson Clock Tower almost made a date with extinction in 2011 when a developer tried to lure the authority to build a multi-storey mixed-commercial complex  there.


Berlin Wall Memorial

Flip to the other side of the globe; the story-line is not too far different. Historic building and monument seem to be similarly less appreciated. Berlin Wall Memorial is one of them.

The Berlin Wall was built in 1961. Photo: pinkbigmac-BERLIN

What is Berlin Wall?

It was supposed to prevent East Berliners and citizens of East Germany from fleeing to the West, a time during which East Germany was ruled by the SED, the ruling Communist Party.

Who built it?

Hardline East German leader Walter Ulbricht gave the order to build after winning backing from Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

People died trying to escape through the wall?

Varying estimates. Berlin prosecutors say 169 people were killed between August 13, 1961, and November 9, 1989. A recent study found that 1,065 people were killed trying to flee East Germany across all Cold War borders

An estimated 5,000 people reached West Berlin. More than 75,000 people were imprisoned for trying to leave East Germany without permission

And the "Death Strip"?

A border strip between the inner and outer segments of the wall in East Berlin is called the “death strip” because so many people were killed there while trying to flee.

When did the Berlin Wall fall?

The Berlin Wall that the SED used to maintain its power fell in 1989 during the downfall of East Germany that year.



Protests stall Berlin Wall removal

Section of the memorial wall has already been uprooted. AP Photo

(BERLIN) — Berliners are protesting as a construction company removes a section of a historic stretch of the Berlin Wall known as the East Side Gallery to provide access to a riverside plot where luxury condominiums are being built.

An approximately 20-meter (22-yard) stretch of the 1.3 kilometer (3/4 mile) section of wall is being removed by crews Friday while demonstrators look on.

Since German reunification, the stretch of the wall has been preserved as a historical monument and transformed into an open air gallery painted with colorful murals, and has become a popular tourist attraction.

District chairman Franz Schulz tells Bild newspaper that the section of the wall is being removed to allow access to a new luxury apartment building planned for the banks of the Spree river.
Source - Yahoo News, Mar 1, 2013.


Source and references:
a) The Times
b) Reuters Factbox
c) Photo by pinkbigmac-BERLIN

Rooftop solar PV launched at SM St. Michael, Sabah

While 10 schools in Sabah celebrate their achievement of 100% passes in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) this year, SM St Michael has a bonus reason to celebrate.

Greenery welcomes you as you approach St. Michael secondary school.

The school became the first in Sabah to have the solar photovoltaic (PV) system installed on its roof to reduce the school's electricity consumption. More importantly, this will pave the way for Malaysians to learn and appreciate the technology at early stage.

The installation of the 5.4kWp rooftop solar here was completed in January 2013, thanks to a worldwide project named dena Solar Roofs Programme, coordinated by the Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH, and co-financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.

Brief information of the rooftop installation:

Installed capacity       : 5.4 kWp
Solar module              : 24 panels
Area of roof covered  : 41m²
Panel rating                : 225W
Inverter                       : 2 nos (to convert DC to AC supply)
Energy production     : 6,800 kWh annually. Approximately 567 kWh per month
Cost                             : €2,000 to €2,500 per kWp without battery (RM8,000 - RM10,000)

For educational purposes:
A display panel has been installed in the centre of the school to display the actual power in kW and the accumulated generated energy (in kWh) and CO₂ savings over the entire period.

"The main goal is to support the cooperation between German and Malaysian experts in the field of photovoltaic and also sharing of knowledge about the systems under the specific conditions in Malaysia." 

           - Gabriele Eichner of the German Energy Agency.

The school became the programme's first recipient in Malaysia

Another school with solar PV installation is SK Pulau Sepanggar, located half an hour boat-ride from Kota Kinabalu. This is a full capacity installation which means the school gets all its power requirement from this installation alone. The school is not connected to the power grid due to its location.

It is a self initiative by the government to improve the quality of life of the local community as well as to provide a better learning environment for the school children.

SK Pulau Sepanggar hybrid system: The 25kWp solar PV is coupled with diesel generator set

TheGreenMechanics' two cents:

While fully agreeing to the school selection, I am hoping that the "dena Solar Roofs Programme" will also look into the many underprivileged rural schools in the interior. They acknowledged that the programme is most suited for places such as those in the remote areas in East Malaysia.

Germany hits 32.6 GW cumulative solar PV capacity

The title speaks volume for the success of the FIT scheme in Germany.

According a press release from Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI) experts, last year, German solar installations make up more than the rest of Europe combined.

Putting things into perspective, TNB's peak demand is currently about 16 GW and the installed capacity of Germany's solar PV is more that double the maximum electricity demand in Peninsula Malaysia.

The Solar Settlement in Freiburg, Germany. Once Germany reaches 52 GW, the Federal Government plans to phase out support for solar power. Photo credit: Rolf Disch Solar Architecture


Germany's solar PV reaches new height

Germany installed 274 MW worth of photovoltaics in January, according to the latest figures from the Federal Network Agency. Overall, the country has a cumulative photovoltaic capacity of 32.6 GW.

The 274 MW of new capacity is spread across 9,299 systems. As such, cumulative photovoltaic capacity has reached an impressive 32.66 GW, of which over 26.5 GW were installed between early 2009 and late 2012. Once Germany reaches 52 GW, the Federal Government plans to phase out support for solar power.

Meanwhile, between June and December last year, 3.2 GW of photovoltaics was added in Germany. These figures have been subsequently corrected, said the agency. Installations in this period serve as the basis for calculating the future monthly degression.

For February, March and April, the Federal Network Agency has imposed a photovoltaic FIT reduction of 2.2% each month. As such, since March 1, €0.1127/kW is paid to systems between one and 10 MW in size. For smaller rooftop projects, operators receive between €0.1377 and €0.1628/kWh, depending on the system size.

TheGreenMechanics: Dear government - please bring back the FIT scheme for Solar PV (and the other 3 Renewable Energies) to Sabah and Sarawak.

Source: PV-Magazine

Germany hikes electricity charge to finance Green Energy

It is inevitable, really.

To make renewable energy sustainable, a kind of levy has to be imposed on your energy consumption. The more you use energy the more surcharge (hidden charges if you like) will be levied on you. Germany is doing just that.


A biogas plant is seen behind a wind turbine in Nauen, Germany. Photo by AP via wtov9


Electricity surcharge up by almost 50%

Germany's electrical grid operators Monday (Oct 15, 2012) said they were hiking by nearly 50 percent the charge to consumers that goes to finance subsidies for renewable energy as the country phases out nuclear power.

Consumers will be asked to pay 0.05277 euros ($0.06839) per kilowatt hour of electricity consumed in 2013, the firms announced, compared to a 0.03592-euro surcharge this year.

For an average three-person house, this 47-percent increase amounts to an additional 60 euros per year to around 185 euros in add-on power taxes. In total, the network operators hope to collect more than 20 billion euros to finance renewables.

On Thursday, German Environment Minister Peter Altmaier said that Europe's top economy wanted to have 40 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020, up from a previous target of 35 percent.

Germany decided in the immediate wake of Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant disaster to shut down its nuclear reactors by 2022 and ramp up the use of renewable energy.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has made the so-called "Energiewende", the term used to describe both the end of nuclear power and the promotion of renewable energy sources, one of her government's priorities.

However, the policy has run into difficulties, notably due to technical and financing problems as well because of local resistance to building new power lines. - FRANCE24

Related story: Germany's clean-technologies industry to more than double by 2025


TheGreenMechanics:
Germany's new electricity surcharge of €0.05277 (RM0.21) is almost equal to Malaysia's average household electricity price. According to the EU statistical office Eurostat, Germany's average household electricity price is €0.253 (about RM1.00) per kWh, the second highest in the 27-member bloc behind Denmark. Suddenly our electricity tariffs seem so cheap.

In Malaysia, to help finance the Feed-in Tariff scheme, consumers who use up more than 350kWh per month are levied with 1% surcharge. This is good for a start but that just shows that we are still at infancy stage compared to Germany.

What is your Household Electricity Use?

On average, Malaysia’s per household electricity consumption is 251 kWh per month. In terms of carbon dioxide emission, this is translated to release of 171.68 kg of CO2 per household per month.

Compare your annual electricity consumption with the world's biggest economy, the United States, and the renewable energy leader, Germany. Illustrated in the following histogram:

Original chart by ilsr.org. I modified it to include Malaysia in the comparison.

Note that there's little need for air conditioning in Germany compared to the United States, but air conditioning only accounts for about 20% of U.S. household electricity consumption. Leaving the air-con out of the equation makes it 9,200 kWh vs. 3,100 kWh.

Malaysia electricity consumption is averagely 3,012 kWh per household per year or 251kWh per month. The following following SESB electricity bill shows electricity consumption for that month is 472kWh or 5664 kWh annualised.

SESB electricity bill: 472 kWh/month is above the national average of 251 kWh

If you want to calculate how much carbon dioxide you release every month, take your monthly utility bill and look for the kWh figure as shown in the photo above. Multiply that with 0.684 and you get the amount of CO2 emission as a result of your energy consumption.

In this case about 322 kg of CO2 (472kWh x 0.684) is release to the environment by this household. Every one kilowatt hour (kWh) used releases 0.684 kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission, the gas that contributes to the green house effect, blamed for global warming.

You now know where you stand, and if everyone plays their role by taking steps to ensure that they are using the least amount of energy possible, it will make a big difference.

Further readings and references: 
1) Cooling appliances uncool for environment - http://www.thesundaily.my/news/420861
 2) Analysis of Residential Electricity Consumption: Is Reform Needed?

Germany solar meets nearly Half of country's weekend power demand

German solar power plants fed a whopping 22 gigawatts GW of power per hour into the national grid on Friday and Saturday, 26/5/2012, at midday hours, setting a new record by meeting nearly half of the country’s weekend power demand.



Photo: Inhabitat

After the Fukushima disaster, Japan opted to shut down all of its nuclear power stations and Germany followed suit after considerable public pressure. This seems to have paved the way for greater investment in solar energy projects.

The Renewable Energy Industry (IWR) in Muenster announced that Saturday’s solar energy generation met nearly 50% of the nation’s midday electricity needs. This was EQUAL to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity.

Germany’s solar power industry has always been a world leader, but since the the country closed eight nuclear power plants after the Japanese disaster and announced they would be shutting down the remaining nine by 2022, pressure to find alternative energy has mounted. This includes renewable sources such as wind, solar and biomass.

By meeting a third of its electricity needs on a work day and nearly half on Saturday when factories and offices were closed, Germany’s solar power industry has broken all previous records. Speaking to Reuters, Norbert Allnoch, director of the IWR said: ”Never before anywhere has a country produced as much photovoltaic electricity. Germany came close to the 22 GW mark a few times in recent weeks. But this was the first time we made it over.”

“This shows Germany is capable of meeting a large share of its electricity needs with solar power,” Allnoch said. “It also shows Germany can do with fewer coal-burning power plants, gas-burning plants and nuclear plants.”


Learn from the leader

By receiving government-mandated Feed-in Tariff support for renewables, Germany has became a world leader in renewable energy. Currently the country gets about 20% of its overall annual electricity from renewable sources and has nearly as much installed solar power generation capacity as the rest of the world combined.

Like most other European countries, it is aiming to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 1990 levels by 2020, but at this rate it is the country most likely to actually follow through.

For the record, Malaysia pledged to reduce greenhouse gases by 40% of 2005 levels by the year 2020, subject to assistance from developed countries.

Reference: Inhabitat