Solar power

The sun is an enormous power plant. Every day it supplies us with eighty times more energy than is needed in Germany.

Domestic sector
The solar industry is a new industrial sector in Germany which has seen enormous growth over the last number of years thanks to state support through the EEG. German solar technology turnover has risen within the last six years from around 450 million euros to some 4.9 billion euros. The companies in the industry have been investing 500 million euros annually in the construction, expansion and modernisation of their solar factories in order to increase their production capacities with solar modules, solar cells and inverters. The number of people employed directly and indirectly in the industry had risen to around 50,000 in 2006 (source: German Federal Association of the Solar Industry (BSW), as of April 2007). Although Germany's geographical position on the world map does not make it the ideal location for solar energy due to it only receiving moderate levels of solar radiation, it has become the largest solar thermal market in Europe, helped by the MAP. Germany takes second place only to Japan in the world in photovoltaic power generation. The export services and deliveries of the German solar industry include planning, construction, equipment, systems engineering, operation, monitoring, finance packages and training. In addition to this, they are providers of cross-sectoral consulting services, such as technical consultation, feasibility studies, environmental impact studies, audits and measurement instrumentation.

Technology
The German Federal Association of the Solar Industry reported that there were 1,300,000 solar plants in Germany in 2006. 220,000 new plants were erected in 2006 alone. In Germany, solar thermal plants are predominantly used to generate hot water and to augment the heating system in private households, but they are also increasingly being used in larger community facilities and open air swimming pools. Despite the relatively high initial outlay, the popularity of solar thermal and photovoltaic heat and power generation can be explained by the comprehensive state support programmes, especially for photovoltaic plants through the EEG, and by increased environmental awareness, especially amongst private consumers. According to the "Acceptance of Photovoltaics and Solar Thermal Energy in Germany in 2007" study from the Institute for Social Research and Communication in Bielefeld, 27 percent of all house owners now want to use solar thermal energy for heating.

International markets
Recently, solar thermal power plants in the megawatt range have begun to be installed and operated profitably in sunny countries of the world which have 1,700 to 2,800 kilowatt hours of solar energy per square metre annually. Sunlight is clustered on to an absorber by means of systems of mirrors in solar thermal power plants and the heat generated there is used to produce power with the aid of conventional steam turbines, for example. By using storage technologies, these systems can also supply electricity at night when there isn't any sunshine. These systems are primarily suitable for areas with high levels of solar radiation (e.g. North Africa, Southern Europe, the southern states of the USA). In addition to this, solar energy can also be used as needed for specific situations - to heat greenhouses and stables, to dry agricultural products, to cook, in the form of photovoltaics, primarily for independent electricity generation, to operate high-performance refrigerators for air-conditioning and to provide steam in laundries and industrial firms.