Solar systems put a strain on power grids – this is the reason

The expansion of photovoltaic systems has now even exceeded the federal government's targets. However, the many new solar systems can place a strain on the power grids.

The federal government has set a target of 88 gigawatts for photovoltaic systems by 2024. Almost 91 gigawatts have already been installed, according to the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW).

This means that the expansion of PV systems is already well above the target. But this could also put a strain on the German power grids, as the new solar systems have to be integrated efficiently into the system.

This is the situation regarding the expansion of PV systems in Germany

For its traffic light energy transition monitor, the German Institute for Economic Research has examined the current status of solar systems and compared them with the federal government's targets.

However, the study authors Wolf-Peter Schill and Alexander Roth see potential here, especially in solar systems on open spaces, because the expansion here is slower than that of building systems.

“While smaller PV systems on buildings are in great demand, especially because of the self-consumption benefits, there is still a lot of potential for open-space systems in Germany,” explains Schill.

Schmidt suggests that the federal government increases the tender volumes for open-space systems again. This could also reduce the costs of expansion, as open-space PV systems are cheaper than rooftop systems.

Balcony power plants make up only a small part

However, the increasing number of balcony power plants hardly contributes to meeting the targets for PV systems. This is because they usually have very small modules and therefore only account for 0.5 percent of the total PV output in Germany.

This means that the approximately 600,000 balcony power plants in Germany cannot compete with plants on large areas. The latter have increased particularly sharply in Bavaria, where around a quarter of the installed capacity in Germany is generated.

When do solar systems become a burden on power grids?

According to the DIW, solar systems must be efficiently integrated into the German electricity system so that they do not become a burden on the German electricity grid. “One challenge is to efficiently integrate the solar power volumes, which fluctuate greatly over the course of the day and year, into the electricity market,” explains Alexander Roth.

It is currently becoming apparent that the existing storage facilities are not sufficient or are not being operated correctly. The DIW was able to identify pronounced low price phases during the hours of the highest solar power feed-in.

This indicates that flexibility in the electricity sector has grown more slowly than the performance of PV systems. “In order for storage systems to be operated in a way that benefits the system in the self-consumption sector, better price incentives must be put in place,” explains Alexander Roth.

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