Germany's Solar Market Saves Customers Money and Time / Intersolar North America

Berlin/San Francisco (ots) - Germany's solar market is the most
efficient and cost effective in Europe, according to a recent survey
by PV Legal. While the average time to connect a new small-scale
system to the grid is between 14 and 50 weeks across the continent,
German residents are connected in only 6 weeks on average. At the
same time, 19 to 65 percent of small-scale project expenses
(excluding equipment) go to legal-administrative costs, whereas
Germans pay only 7 percent on average. This result is a testament to
the country's extensive photovoltaic infrastructure that includes
installers, utilities and banks with photovoltaic expertise. For the
latest news on Germany's photovoltaics market, Germany Trade & Invest
will have representatives on hand at this year's Intersolar North
America from July 12-14 in San Francisco, California.

"Germany continues to confirm its leadership role in renewable
energies. Industry players are already preparing for innovative new
business models based on consumption and storage rather than feed-in
tariffs. Now is an excellent time to invest in Germany," said Thomas
Grigoleit, renewable energies expert at Germany Trade & Invest in
Berlin.

In last month's semiannual update to the Renewable Energies Act
(EEG) - the bedrock of Germany's sustainable energy push - feed-in
tariffs for solar energy were reconfirmed with no fixed capacity cap
in sight. The "own consumption bonus" was also extended until 2013,
providing a strong signal for the further expansion of the
residential, decentralized market. Additional federal funding has
been announced in recent weeks for energy storage and smart grid
technologies, which will serve to balance the growing fluctuating
energy supply with consumer demand.

Already the home of nearly half of all solar installations
worldwide, the German photovoltaic market is on the verge of a
paradigm shift that can't be found anywhere else: the development of
a grid parity market. Soon feed-in tariffs will be redundant, as
solar electricity will be cheaper than power from the socket. Falling
system price are driving this shift. This year, system prices in
Europe have already dropped approximately 16 percent, according to
Solarbuzz.

Germany Trade & Invest is the foreign trade and inward investment
promotion agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The organization
advises foreign companies looking to expand their business activities
in the German market. It provides information on foreign trade to
German companies that seek to enter foreign markets.

Pressekontakt:
Germany Trade & Invest
Andreas Bilfinger
Email: andreas.bilfinger@gtai.com
T: +49(0)30 200099-173
F: +49(0)30 200099-511