German solar plants bring higher profits than wind farms - study

Jul 29, 2014 - German photovoltaic (PV) systems are more profitable than wind turbines, even though they generate less power as a whole, according to a study, published by Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) on Monday.

Solar plants generated EUR 2.7 billion (USD 3.6bn) of earnings in 2012, which is more than three times as much as wind power plants, which had profits amounting to around EUR 750 million.

In its report, the Fraunhofer ISI points out that regions and technologies benefit differently from the market promotion of the German Renewable Energy Act (EEG). For example, Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg alone account for around 40% of the total installed solar power capacity in Germany and are also among the leading provinces in terms of profits.

As for wind farms, these predominate in the northern provinces such as Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Saxony-Anhalt with a total installed capacity of 19 GW. These four are producing more wind power than the other twelve states alltogether.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.343)

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