Faced with rising energy prices, Germans are equipping their balconies with solar panels

2023-08-01 06:30:53

Tatiana Geiselmann / Credit photo: FRANK HOERMANN / SVEN SIMON / SVEN SIMON / DPA PICTURE-ALLIANCE VIA AFP
08:30, August 01, 2023

In Germany, to compensate for rising energy prices, our neighbors are snapping up solar panels. On balconies, roofs, in gardens… Sales of these installations have tripled in one year. A trend that could be followed in France, with the gradual end of the tariff shield.

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For a year, Matthias Schwartz’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing. This electrician from Lichtenau, Baden-Württemberg, receives half a dozen customers a day in search of balcony solar panels. With the rise in energy prices, more and more people in Germany are opting for these installations, which can supply a washing machine or a refrigerator. Sales have tripled in one year.

Steady demand, rising prices

“Just plug the module into an outlet for solar energy to be injected into the electrical network of my apartment”, describes the electrician. The panels make it possible to cover up to 15% of a household’s consumption, or 200 euros per year. And since the energy crisis, demand is such that prices are skyrocketing. “Today, they cost between 800 and 1,000 euros,” says Matthias Schwartz.

To minimize purchase costs, Rolf Behringer, also an electrician, suggests recycling old solar panels. “The modules are on average more than twenty years old, but they are still 80 or even 90% efficient,” he explains. A godsend for Stephan, who only had to spend 150 euros to attend the workshop. “My electricity bill has increased by more than 600 euros in one year, so that has motivated me to find new solutions to save energy”, completes the customer, conquered. And if the test proves conclusive, he intends to buy two additional modules to cover the seven meters of railing on his balcony.

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