Solar power in Germany explained

Solar power accounted for an estimated 10.7% electricity in Germany in 2022, up from 1.9% in 2010 and less than 0.1% in 2000.[1] [2] [3]

Germany has been among the world's top PV installer for several years, with total installed capacity amounting to 81.8 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2023.[4] Germany's 807 watts of solar PV per capita (2022) is the third highest in the world, behind only Australia and the Netherlands.[5] Germany's official government plans are to continuously increase renewables' contribution to the country's overall electricity consumption; long-term targets are 80% renewable electricity by 2030 and full decarbonization before 2040.[6] [7]

Concentrated solar power (CSP), a 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 1.5MW 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. Germany's largest solar farms are located in Meuro, Neuhardenberg, and Templin with capacities over 100 MW.

According to the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, in 2022, Germany generated 60.8 TWh from solar power, or 11% of Germany's gross electricity consumption.[8]

The country is increasingly producing more electricity at specific times with high solar irradiation than it needs, driving down spot-market prices[9] and exporting its surplus of electricity to its neighbouring countries, with a record exported surplus of 34 TWh in 2014.[10] A decline in spot-prices may however 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 per cent on the national electricity mix, other issues are becoming more pressing and others more feasible. These include adapting the electrical grid, constructing new grid-storage capacity, dismantling and altering fossil and nuclear power plantsbrown coal and nuclear power are the country's cheapest suppliers of electricity, according to today's calculationsand to construct a new generation of combined heat and power plants.

History

Germany was one of the first countries to deploy grid-scale PV power. In 2004, Germany was the first country, together with Japan, to reach 1 GW of cumulative installed PV capacity.Since 2004 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 Sources Act, and declining PV costs.

Prices of PV systems/solar power system decreased more than 50% in the 5 years since 2006.[11] By 2011, solar PV provided 18 TWh of Germany's electricity, or about 3% of the total. That year the federal government set a target of 66 GW of installed solar PV capacity by 2030,[12] to be reached with an annual increase of 2.5–3.5 GW,[13] and a goal of 80% of electricity from renewable sources by 2050.[14]

More than 7 GW of PV capacity were installed annually during the record years of 2010, 2011 and 2012. For this period, the installed capacity of 22.5 GW represented almost 30% of the worldwide deployed photovoltaics.

Since 2013, the number of new installations declined significantly due to more restrictive governmental policies.

About 1.5 million photovoltaic systems were installed around the country in 2014, ranging from small rooftop systems, to medium commercial and large utility-scale solar parks.

It's estimated that by 2017 over 70% of the country's jobs in the solar industry have been lost in the solar sector in recent years. Proponents from the PV industry blame the lack of governmental commitment, while 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.[15]

A boom in small, residential balcony-mounted solar systems has been reported in the early 2020s.[16] [17] [18]

Governmental policies

, the feed-in tariff (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[19] (approximately 15% of the total domestic cost of electricity).[20] 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.[21] Germany set a world record for solar power production with 25.8 GW produced at midday on 20 and 21 April 2015.[22]

According to the solar power industry, a feed-in tariff is the most effective means of developing solar power.[23] 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.[24]

Since the end of the boom period, national PV market has since declined significantly, due to the amendments in the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) that reduced feed-in tariffs and set constraints on utility-scaled installations, limiting their size to no more than 10 kW.[25]

The previous version of the EEG only guaranteed financial assistance as long as the PV capacity had not yet reached 52 GW. This limit has now been removed. It also foresees to regulate annual PV growth within a range of 2.5 GW to 3.5 GW by adjusting the guaranteed fees accordingly. The legislative reforms stipulates a 40 to 45 per cent share from renewable energy sources by 2025 and a 55 to 60 per cent share by 2035.[26]

, tenants in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) will soon be able to benefit from the PV panels mounted on the buildings in which they live.The state government has introduced measures covering the self-consumption of power, allowing tenants to acquire the electricity generated onsite more cheaply than their regular utility contracts stipulate.[27] [28]

Grid capacity and stability issues

In 2017, approximately 9 GW of photovoltaic plants in Germany were being retrofitted to shut down[29] if the frequency increases to 50.2 Hz, indicating an excess of electricity on the grid. The frequency is unlikely to reach 50.2 Hz during normal operation, but can if Germany is exporting power to countries that suddenly experience a power failure. This leads to a surplus of generation in Germany, that is transferred to rotating load and generation, which causes system frequency to rise. This happened in 2003 and 2006.[30] [31] [32]

However, power failures could not have been caused by photovoltaics in 2006, as solar PV played a negligible role in the German energy mix at that time.[33] In December 2012, the president of Germany's "Bundesnetzagentur", the Federal Network Agency, stated that there is "no indication", that the switch to renewables is causing more power outages.[34] Amory Lovins from the Rocky Mountain Institute wrote about the German Energiewende in 2013, calling the discussion about grid stability a "disinformation campaign".[35]

Potential

Germany has about the same solar potential as Alaska, which has an average of 3.08 sun hours/day in Fairbanks.

Bremen Sun Hours/day (Avg = 2.92 hrs/day)

Stuttgart Sun Hours/day (Avg = 3.33 hrs/day)

Source: NREL, based on an average of 30 years of weather data.[36]

Statistics

The history of Germany's installed photovoltaic capacity, its average power output, produced electricity, and its share in the overall consumed electricity, showed a steady, exponential growth for more than two decades up to about 2012. Solar PV capacity doubled on average every 18 months in this period; an annual growth rate of more than 50 per cent. Since about 2012 growth has slowed down significantly.

Generation

YearCapacity
(MW)
Net annual
generation
(GWh)
% of gross
electricity
consumption
Capacity
Factor (%)
1990212e-045.7
1991212e-045.7
1992647e-047.6
1993936e-043.8
19941270.0016.7
19951870.0014.4
199628120.0024.9
199742180.0034.9
199854350.0067.4
199970300.0054.9
2000114600.016.0
2001176760.0134.9
20022961620.0286.2
20034353130.0528.2
200411055570.0915.8
2005205612820.217.1
2006289922200.368.7
2007417030750.498.4
2008612044200.728.2
20091056665831.137.1
201018006117291.97.4
201125916195993.238.6
201234077262204.358.8
201336710300205.139.6
201437900347356.0810.9
201539224373306.511.3
201640679368206.410.7
201742293380016.610.6
201845158434517.711.6
201948864443348.211.1
202054403485258.910.1
202160108483738.79.1
2022673995959611.110.1
Source: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, for capacity figures[37] and other figures.

Note: This table does not show net consumption but gross electricity consumption, which includes self-consumption of nuclear and coal-fire power plants. In 2014, net consumption stood at about 6.9% (vs. 6.1% for gross consumption).

Solar PV by type

Installed PV capacity in Germany by class size 2017[38] !Size
band!!% of total
capacity!!Notes
<10 kW14.2%Single direct use systems, mostly residential solar pv systems
10–100 kW38.2%Systems used collectively within one place such as a large residential block or large commercial premise or intensive agricultural units
100–500 kW14.1%Typically larger commercial centres, hospitals, schools or industrial/agricultural premises or smaller ground mounted systems
>500 kW33.5%Mostly district power systems, ground-mounted panels providing power to perhaps a mix of industrial and commercial sites
It is interesting to note that whilst large power plants receive a lot of attention in solar power articles, installations under 0.5 MW in size actually represented nearly two-thirds of the installed capacity in Germany in 2017.

PV capacity by federal states

Germany is made up of sixteen, partly sovereign federal states or German: Länder. The southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg account for about half of the total, nationwide PV deployment and are also the wealthiest and most populous states after North Rhine-Westphalia. However, photovoltaic installations are widespread throughout the sixteen states and are not limited to the southern region of the country as demonstrated by a watts per capita distribution.

PV capacity in MW[39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47]
State2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2023
(April) 
W per
capita
(2023-4) 
align=left 1,245 1,772 2,907 3,753 5,838.0 6,111.8 4,984.5 5,117.0 8,809 791
align=left 2,359 3,955 6,365 7,961 9,700.5 10,424.7 11,099.8 11,309.2 19,563 1,484
align=left 11 19 68 50 63.2 68.6 80.5 83.9 215 58
align=left 72 219 638 1,313 2,576.1 2,711.2 2,901.0 2,981.5 5,920 2,332
align=left 4 5 14 30 32.3 35.3 39.9 42.2 70 103
align=left 7 9 27 25 32.1 35.8 36.5 36.9 90 48
align=left 350 549 868 1,174 1,520.9 1,661.8 1,768.5 1,811.2 3,201 508
align=left 352 709 1,479 2,051 3,045.1 3,257.4 3,490.6 3,580.4 5,957 742
align=left 48 88 263 455 957.7 1,098.5 1,337.9 1,414.4 3,519 2,184
align=left 617 1,046 1,925 2,601 3,582.0 3,878.5 4,234.9 4,363.7 8,113 452
align=left 332 504 841 1,124 1,528.2 1,670.8 1,862.2 1,920.5 3,356 817
align=left 67 100 158 218 318.8 365.4 407.3 415.8 738 751
align=left 168 288 529 836 1,280.8 1,412.3 1,575.1 1,607.5 2,995 740
align=left 94 181 450 817 1,377.9 1,556.1 1,828.7 1,962.6 3,891 1,793
align=left 159 310 695 992 1,351.5 1,407.8 1,468.6 1,498.3 2,587 885
align=left 95 159 327 467 871.7 1,013.9 1,119.9 1,187.4 2,226 1,055
align=left Cumulative total installed 5,979 9,913 17,554 23,866 34,076.7 36,710.1 38,236.0 39,332.4 71,259 856
align=left Capacity added 3,934 7,641 6,312 10,210.7 2,633.4 1,525.9 1,096.4

Photovoltaic power stations

See main article: List of photovoltaic power stations.

Largest photovoltaic power stations

PV Power stationCapacity
in MWp
CommissioningLocationNotes
Witznitzalign=center 6052024Leipzig[48]
Solarpark Weesow-Willmersdorfalign=center 1872020[49]
Solarpark Tramm-Göhtenalign=center 1722022[50]
Solarpark Meuroalign=center 1662011/2012[51]
Solarpark Gottesgabealign=center 1502021[52]
Solarpark Alttrebbinalign=center 1502021[53]
Neuhardenberg Solar Parkalign=center 145September 2012[54]
Templin Solar Parkalign=center 128.5September 2012[55]
Solarpark Schornhofalign=center 1202020[56]
Brandenburg-Briest Solarparkalign=center 91December 2011
Solarpark Gaarzalign=center 902021[57]
Solarpark Finow Toweralign=center 84.72010/2011
Eggebek Solar Parkalign=center 83.62011
Finsterwalde Solar Parkalign=center 80.72009/2010[58] [59]
Solarpark Zietlitz align=center 762021[60]
Lieberose Photovoltaic Parkalign=center 71.82009[61] [62]
Solarpark Alt Daberalign=center 67.82011
Solarpark Ganzlinalign=center 652020[63]
Solarpark Lauterbachalign=center 54.72022[64]
Strasskirchen Solar Parkalign=center 54December 2009
Walddrehna Solar Parkalign=center 52.32012
Waldpolenz Solar Parkalign=center 52December 2008[65] [66]
Tutow Solar Parkalign=center 522009/2010/2011

Other notable photovoltaic stations

Capacity factor ! Coordinates - align=left 12 14,000 0.13 align=left 50.0028°N 9.9208°W - align=left 8.4 Göttelborn n.a. n.a. align=left - align=left Bavaria Solarpark, 57,600 solar modules 6.3 6,750 0.12 align=left 49.1581°N 11.4331°W - align=left Rote Jahne Solar Park, 92,880 thin-film modules,
First Solar, FS-260, FS-262 and FS-265[67] [68]
6.0 5,700 0.11 align=left - align=left Bürstadt Solar Farm, 30,000 BP Solar modules 5.0 4,200 0.10 align=left 49.65°N 36°W - align=left Espenhain, 33,500 Shell Solar modules 5.0 5,000 0.11 align=left 51.2°N 43°W - align=left Geiseltalsee Solarpark, 24,864 BP solar modules 4.0 3,400 0.10 align=left 51.3667°N 12°W - align=left Hemau Solar Farm, 32,740 solar modules 4.0 3,900 0.11 align=left 49.05°N 58°W - align=left Solara, Sharp and Kyocera solar modules 3.3 3,050 0.11 align=left 48.6333°N 42°W - align=left 3 3,000 0.11 align=left 47.5442°N 7.725°W - align=left Bavaria Solarpark, Sharp solar modules 1.9 Günching n.a. n.a. align=left 49.2636°N 11.5907°W - align=left Bavaria Solarpark, Sharp solar modules 1.9 Minihof n.a. n.a. align=left 48.4782°N 12.9191°W

Companies

Some companies have collapsed since 2008, facing harsh competition from imported solar panels. Some were taken over like Bosch Solar Energy by SolarWorld. Major German solar companies include:

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Share of electricity generated by solar power: Germany. Our World In Data. 2024. 2024-01-27.
  2. Web site: Fraunhofer ISE. Recent facts about photovoltaics in Germany. 19 May 2015. 3 July 2015.
  3. Web site: Electricity production from solar and wind in Germany in 2014. Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. Germany. 22 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140728200112/http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/downloads-englisch/pdf-files-englisch/data-nivc-/electricity-production-from-solar-and-wind-in-germany-2014.pdf. 28 July 2014. 5. 21 July 2014. live.
  4. Web site: Germany’s Official 2023 Solar Installations Exceed 14 GW. Anu Bhambhani. Taiyang News. 2024-01-22. 2024-01-27.
  5. Web site: Snapshot of Global PV Markets 2023. 6/21. International Energy Agency. April 2023. 2023-07-11.
  6. Web site: 'New dynamic in expansion' - Germany adds nearly 10GW of wind and solar in 2022. Bernd Radowitz. Recharge News. 2023-01-03. 2023-07-11.
  7. Web site: Renewables covered more than half of German electricity consumption in first half of 2023. Julian Wettengel. Clean Energy Wire. 2023-06-27. 2023-07-11.
  8. Wirth. Harry. Ise. Fraunhofer. Recent Facts about Photovoltaics in Germany . November 21, 2023 . . Freiburg. 4 January 2023 . 99.
  9. Web site: Electricity Spot-Prices and Production Data in Germany 2013. fraunhofer.de.
  10. Web site: Electricity production from solar and wind in Germany in 2014 (German version). Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. Germany. 5 January 2015. 2, 3, 6. 5 January 2015.
  11. Web site: BSW-Solar – Statistische Zahlen der deutschen Solarstrombranche (Photovoltaik), Oct 2011. solarwirtschaft.de.
  12. Web site: Germany Reducing Incentives For Solar Property Investment. Property Wire. 22 April 2010. NuWire Investor. 10 September 2010.
  13. Web site: New German 7.5 GWp PV Record by End of 2011. Lang. Matthias. 21 November 2011. German Energy Blog. 9 January 2012.
  14. http://www.summitwatch.org/de.html Germany
  15. Web site: German solar power output up 60 pct in 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120413214942/http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL6E7NT1WK20111229?sp=true . dead . 13 April 2012 . 29 December 2011 . . 2 January 2012 .
  16. Web site: Balcony power plants cause solar industry to boom. Alex Stellmacher. ASB Zeitung. 2024-01-02. 2024-01-27.
  17. Web site: Germany's balcony solar craze: is US next?. Ernestas Naprys. Cybernews.com. 2023-11-15. 2024-01-27.
  18. Web site: Mini plug-in solar panels: Are they worth it?. Gero Rueter. Deutsche Welle. 2023-11-09. 2024-01-27.
  19. Web site: 2012 EEG Surcharge Increases Slightly to 3.592 ct/kWh . Matthias . Lang . German Energy Blog . 14 October 2011 . 9 January 2012.
  20. Web site: Europe's Energy Portal » Fuel, Natural Gas and Electricity Prices From Past to Present.
  21. Web site: Merit order effect of PV in Germany . 2 February 2012 . Craig . Morris . Renewables International . 17 May 2012 .
  22. Web site: Transparency in Energy Markets Germany.
  23. Web site: The U.S. Needs a Feed-in Tariff. pennenergy.com.
  24. Web site: PV Learning Curves:Past and Future Drivers of Cost Reduction. q-cells.com.
  25. Web site: Changes for solar in Germany. renewablesinternational.net . 12 May 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140512222547/http://www.renewablesinternational.net/changes-for-solar-in-germany/150/452/77990/ . 12 May 2014 . dead. 3 April 2014.
  26. Web site: Erneuerbare Energien. Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und. Energie. bmwi.de.
  27. News: Federal state supports 'tenant electricity' models with solar PV . 1 November 2016 . Clean Energy Wire (CLEW) . Berlin, Germany . 1 November 2016.
  28. . Minister Remmel: "NRW macht es vor — Mieterinnen und Mieter können künftig auch von der Energiewende profitieren." — Umweltministerium fördert Mieterstrom-Modelle und Energiespeicher . Minister Remmel: "NRW makes it possible — tenants can also benefit from the Energiewende in the future." — Environment Ministry promotes tenant electricity models and energy storage . de . 31 October 2016 . Umweltministerium North Rhine-Westphalia . Düsseldorf, Germany . 1 November 2016.
  29. Web site: Lang. Matthias. Study Recommends Retrofitting of PV Power Plants to Solve 50.2 Hz Problem. German Energy Blog. 21 September 2011 . 15 February 2017.
  30. http://www.rpia.ro/?page_id=1668 The "50.2 Hz" problem for photovoltaic power plants
  31. Web site: Timeline of the utility frequency: Timeline.
  32. Web site: Impact of Large-scale Distributed Generation on Network Stability During Over-Frequency Events & Development of Mitigation Measures. ecofys.com.
  33. Web site: Michael Döring . Dealing with the 50.2 Hz problem . 1 January 2013. 13 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140714151720/http://www.modernpowersystems.com/features/featuredealing-with-the-50.2-hz-problem/ . 14 July 2014. live.
  34. Web site: Germany's Network Agency says power outages "unlikely" . 6 December 2012 . 13 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140714140111/http://www.renewablesinternational.net/germanys-network-agency-says-power-outages-unlikely/150/537/59139/ . 14 July 2014. live.
  35. Web site: Amory Lovins . Separating Fact from Fiction in Accounts of Germany's Renewables Revolution . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714182245/http://energytransition.de/2013/08/energiewende-separating-fact-from-fiction/ . 14 July 2014. 23 August 2013. live.
  36. Web site: PV Watts. NREL. 1 July 2016.
  37. Web site: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie. Time series for the development of renewable energy sources in Germany . 14 May 2022. xls .
  38. Web site: EXISTING AND FUTURE PV PROSUMER CONCEPTS, pg. 18.
  39. http://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Sachgebiete/Energie/Unternehmen_Institutionen/ErneuerbareEnergien/ZahlenDatenInformationen/StatistikberichtEEG2008pdf.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2 Bundesnetzagentur – EEG-Statistikbericht 2008
  40. Web site: Bundesnetzagentur – EEG-Statistikbericht 2009. clearingstelle-eeg.de.
  41. http://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Sachgebiete/Energie/Unternehmen_Institutionen/ErneuerbareEnergien/ZahlenDatenInformationen/StatistikberichtEEG2010pdf.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2 Bundesnetzagentur – EEG-Statistikbericht 2010
  42. http://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Sachgebiete/Energie/Unternehmen_Institutionen/ErneuerbareEnergien/ZahlenDatenInformationen/StatistikberichtEEG2011pdf.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1 Bundesnetzagentur – EEG-Statistikbericht 2011
  43. Web site: Bundesnetzagentur – EEG in Zahlen 2012. bundesnetzagentur.de.
  44. Web site: Bundesnetzagentur – EEG in Zahlen 2013. bundesnetzagentur.de.
  45. http://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Sachgebiete/Energie/Unternehmen_Institutionen/ErneuerbareEnergien/ZahlenDatenInformationen/EEGinZahlen_2014.xlsx?__blob=publicationFile&v=2 Bundesnetzagentur – EEG in Zahlen 2014
  46. Web site: Bundesnetzagentur – Installierte EE-Leistung zum 31.12.2015 (vorläufig). bundesnetzagentur.de.
  47. Web site: Statistiken ausgewählter erneuerbarer Energieträger zur Stromerzeugung - April 2023. Federal Network Agency. 4/9. 2023-05-19. 2023-06-10.
  48. Web site: Europe's largest PV plant goes online . FinanzNachrichten.de . 10 April 2024.
  49. Web site: Der EnBW-Solarpark in Weesow-Willmersdorf EnBW . 2023-06-28 . Der EnBW-Solarpark in Weesow-Willmersdorf . de.
  50. Web site: macmyday . 2018-06-07 . Projekte . 2023-06-28 . BELECTRIC . de-DE.
  51. PV Resources.com (2009). World's largest photovoltaic power plants
  52. Web site: Solarpark Gottesgabe EnBW . 2023-06-28 . Solarpark Gottesgabe . de.
  53. Web site: Solarpark Alttrebin EnBW . 2023-06-28 . Solarpark Alttrebin . de.
  54. Web site: Contract for services . LIMA Group GmbH .
  55. Web site: CFB-Fonds. CFB News: Commerz Real Acquires Germany's Largest Solar Park.
  56. Web site: 2023-01-30 . MKG GÖBEL / 120 MWp solar park Schornhof . 2023-06-28 . MKG GÖBEL . en-GB.
  57. Web site: Gaarz, Deutschland - ENERPARC AG . 2023-06-28 . www.enerparc.de . de.
  58. Web site: Good Energies, NIBC Infrastructure Partners acquire Finsterwalde II and Finsterwalde III. pv-tech.org.
  59. Web site: Implementation of the 39 MWp "Solar Park Finsterwalde II and Finsterwalde III". u-energy.de.
  60. Web site: Friedrich . Mariana . 2020-07-17 . Successful ground-breaking ceremony: start of construction for the Zietlitz solar park in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern . 2023-06-28 . Goldbeck Solar GmbH . en-US.
  61. Web site: Lieberose solar farm becomes Germany's biggest, World's second-biggest.
  62. Web site: Leaders In Alternative Energy: Germany Turns On World's Biggest Solar Power Project. SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg, Germany. 20 August 2009. Der Spiegel.
  63. Web site: Solarpark Ganzlin: PV-Freiflächenanlage von GP JOULE . 2023-06-28 . www.gp-joule.com . de-DE.
  64. Web site: Solarpark Lauterbach Erneuerbare Energien UmweltBank . 2023-06-28 . UmweltBank Deutschlands grünste Bank . de.
  65. Web site: Germany's largest Solar parks connected to the grid (19 Dec 08). juwi.de.
  66. Web site: Large photovoltaic plant in Muldentalkreis. sonnenseite.com.
  67. http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=48027 Construction Complete on 6 MW Thin-Film PV Installation in Germany
  68. https://www.webcitation.org/6QwLVgSYo?url=http://www.photovoltaik-im-web.de/Rote_Jahne.pdf Rote Jahne Factsheet (de)