FW: Germany's Day in the Sun: Solar Hits 22 GW Mark

How far can solar penetrate into a national power network? See this.



http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/05/germanys-day-in
-the-sun-solar-hits-22-gw-mark?cmpid=SolarNL-



New Hampshire, USA — With the sun beaming overhead and the nation hard at
work, Germany turned to solar like never before last Friday and Saturday as
the nation's PV installations fed 22 gigawatts of electricity into the grid
at one point, providing nearly half of the country's energy needs.

In doing so, Germany answered some critical questions as it reshapes its
policy away from nuclear power and toward renewable sources like solar, wind
and biomass. Chief among the concerns is how much intermittent solar Germany
can seamlessly integrate into its grid without causing major disruptions.

During one 24-hour period, Germany's PV accounted for nearly a third of the
nation's energy needs on midday Friday when the nation's factories and
offices were humming along, and then it approached 50 percent midday
Saturday as residents enjoyed a sun-filled weekend.

The milestone comes at a critical crossroads for a country that is eager to
move on from its dependence on nuclear power, but has been increasingly at
odds over which path to take. If nothing else, the achievement is certain to
add to the growing confidence that solar can fill much of the nuclear void.
Germany currently gets about 20 percent of its energy from renewable
sources, with solar contributing about 4 percent annually.

According to the International Economic Platform for Renewable Energies in
Muenster, the power produced at its weekend peak was greater than the
capacity of 20 nuclear power plants. The timing of the peak is particularly
important since it comes during times when energy use is at its highest.

"It is often underestimated that the sun brings significant power if and
when it is needed most. In the peak time for lunch," said institute director
Norbert Allnoch. Because of this, the group says that expensive peak load
power plants are increasingly rare or no longer used.

Germany is by far the world leader in installed PV capacity with more than
26 GW. Last year alone, the nation added nearly 8 GW and it has continued
its rapid expansion through the start of 2012. Concerns over the speed of
installation and the growing cost of government support pushed legislators
to adopt a steeper than expected cuts to the Feed-in Tariff that is credited
with fueling the installation boom in recent years. That cut, however, has
run into some political barriers and a separate mediation panel is now
charged with finding a resolution.

S
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