Germany sets solar power generation world record

Over the course of the weekend Germany’s solar power plants generated a massive 22GW of electricity in just 24 hours. Not only that, at noon on Saturday, solar energy was attributed to providing almost 40% of the country’s total electricity demand.

The head of Germany’s Institute of the Renewable Energy Industry, Norbert Allnoch confirmed the figure which he said is equivalent to the power output of  around 20 nuclear power plants at full capacity.

Speaking to Reuters, Allnoch said: “Never before anywhere has a country produced as much photovoltaic electricity. Germany came close to the 20 gigawatt mark a few times in recent weeks. But this was the first time we made it over.

“This shows Germany is capable of meeting a large share of its electricity needs with solar power. It also shows Germany can do with fewer coal-burning power plants, gas-burning plants and nuclear plants.”

The extraordinary news should help to further optimism in solar PV as a viable renewable form of energy. Not only that, but with Germany and England experiencing very similar weather patterns, the UK’s target of 22GW total solar generation by 2020 seems realistic and achievable.

The solar market in Germany is booming and has been doing so for some time. After the disaster that was Fukishima the Government decided to turn its back on nuclear energy, decommissioned eight plants and switched its allegiance to solar electricity and other forms of renewable energy instead. Already the country almost has as much installed solar power generation capacity as combined world and it’s down to Government-mandated support for solar and other forms of renewable technology that Germany has become such a well regarded leader in this field.