Dynamic German market with photovoltaics and carports

• What is the demand from German customers in general? 

Generally speaking, the demand for PV systems in Germany is steadily increasing. This is also due to the subsidy programs in the field of photovoltaics. In my case, the PV sector is divided into rooftop systems, free-standing areas, and then carport systems and charging infrastructure, with the share of rooftop systems being the largest at the moment, but the demand for free-standing areas is also growing steadily, at least among my clients. And carports and charging systems are still relatively new, but we are already seeing demand for those as well. 

In 2023, Germany became once again the largest solar market in the EU, leading in both annual and total installations with an increase of 14.1 GW during the year. The cumulative increment in Germany is now at 82.1 GW. This leading position has placed Germany not only at the top of the EU solar market year-on-year but also as the largest contributor to total capacity. The country is expected to continue to play a leading role in solar deployment among EU member states, with further installations of around 80 GWp planned by 2027.

• What about carports in Germany? Are they being built? Are they in demand? We know that in some federal states, solar panels on the roofs of car parks are legally obligatory from a certain number of parking spaces onward.

As far as the carport and charging infrastructure sector is concerned, many federal states currently support the construction of solar carports and, on the other hand, also require that new public car parks be covered by solar carports with a minimum number of parking spaces. In some cases, however, this requirement can be circumvented by planting a certain number of trees at a certain distance in a given parking area.

In general, however, it can be assumed that the trend is upwards and that over the years carports will become more and more covered. Such tendencies are already being observed among clients, although this trend is not yet as developed, as the implementation of a solar carport is a relatively large construction project that involves many administrative and construction legal hurdles, and the comparison of the amount of investment compared to the time before the investment costs are recouped is still quite large.

• How is the DE market in general? Are you following any trends? What is the outlook for the coming months?

I'm definitely seeing a growing trend for many companies to switch to renewables, especially in light of rising electricity prices. They want to become pioneers and trend-setters in this area. At the same time, we can assume that this direction is also an attraction for younger generations.