Germany Adds Nearly 1% of Electricity Supply with Solar in Eight Months

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/10/germany-adds-nearly-1-of-electricity-supply-with-solar-in-eight-months

Seemingly determined to put an end to speculation that solar photovoltaics (PV) can't "scale" quickly enough to make a dent in electricity consumption, the German solar industry continues to break records.

According to the latest data from the Bundesnetzagentur, Germany's solar industry added another 1,000 MW during July and August. This brings the total for the eight-month period from January through August to 4,900 MW from nearly 175,000 solar installations.

Solar PV installations to date in 2010 are capable of generating slightly less than 5 TWh of electricity under German conditions.

Germany consumed 580 TWh of electricity in 2009.

Installations of solar PV during the first eight months of 2010 are capable of providing 0.86% or nearly 1% of the country's electricity. At the current pace of development, Germany will add about 6,000 MW of PV for all of 2010 or more than enough to provide 1% of electricity supply.

<more>

[Scuba]

1. Once again, the US lags thanks to big oil dragging us down. n/t

[blm]

4. Think how advanced we'd be at this point if 2000 and 2004 hadn't been stolen by the fascists.

.

[Scuba]

6. That is an excellent point, and needs to be used. I might steal it. n/t

[kristopher]

18. +1

[itsrobert]

2. Would that work out to 100 percent in 800 months?

About 66 years? Sounds like a plan.

[godai]

3. There's no need to get to 100%.

Germany leads the world in wind turbine power. They, and other countries, plan a variety of alternative power supplies to drastically lower dependence on oil.

And the US plan is???

[diane in sf]

5. Your premise is false. There are many types of efficiency not yet used as well

as multiple sources of clean energy. The rate of growth in wind and solar is exponential.
An example. If you were to give me a penny today, 2 cents tomorrow and keep doubling the amount you gave me every day, it wouldn't be long till you were disgustingly broke and I was disgustingly wealthy even though we started with a really small amount.

[Confusious]

8. I didn't know solar cells could have baby solar cells

that's the only real way it can be exponential.

If you have a limited amount of production, it's always going to be linear. Even if you can double production you can install more, but 2x is still linear.

There's also a lot of ways the pseudo curve could level off. Raw materials, chemicals, production.

everything looks exponential when starting from zero. Look at the computer business.

[NickB79]

10. The rate of growth of wind is not exponential

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-15/hsbc-cuts-u-s-wind-power-forecast-says-vestas-best-positioned-in-slump.html

Oops.

[joshcryer]

11. Well that's going to hurt.

[Kolesar]

7. Why would integration be constant?

HMMM?

[Confusious]

9. Did you take calc?

This isn't an integration problem. It isn't a curve. It may look like one, but it's not.

You have a limited production, limited money. production and installation is going to be linear. not many things humans build go on an exponential curve. That's why, if your an economics major, you only have to take algebra.

[Kolesar]

12. not many things humans build go on an exponential curve.

weak

"That's why, if your an economics major, you only have to take algebra."

(&somewhat insulting) Purdue business majors take calculus. If "your" a business major, you also have to take English.

[Confusious]

13. You didn't refute it

just complained about my English, which really means nothing except I didn't proof read. Or maybe I was just throwing you a bone, which you snatched up like a starving dog.

Did you go to purdue and take calculus? calc 2? linear algebra? diff eq? matrix analysis?

[Kolesar]

14. It is beyond lame to claim that photovoltaic integration(s) will be constant

800 months, my sweet aunt

You need a hobby.

[kristopher]

17. In one year build a 1GW solar panel factory and it produces panels for up to 20 years.

From day one each panel produced then produces electricity for between 30-40 years.

Build 1700 1GW/year solar panel factories (that is how many nuclear plants would be required to meet 1/3 of global electricity demand in 2030) and they would produce 1700 GW of panels per year.

At 18% efficiency...




ETA: the cost of a traditional 1GW panel factory is about 1/20th the cost of a $10B 1GW nuclear power plant.

The cost of a 1GW/year thin-film printer (producing lower efficiency panels of about 14%) is 1/5000th the cost of a nuclear plant - $2M.
(I inflated the cost of the printer by 33%.)

[Confusious]

20. try 20 years, with decreasing efficiency every year. nt

[kristopher]

21. You are still tracking 100%

wrong answers.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=261681&mesg_id=261912

[Confusious]

22. Like i've said, that filter is screwed on so tight

You can't even see reality or the big picture.

It'd be funny if so many people didn't agree with you, but what the hell.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Name removed]

23. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Confusious]

19. I never said that, I said it would be linear.

If you double production of solar cells, it's only 400 months, if you quadruple production it would be 100. but it will always be linear.

obviously, you didn't understand.

[kristopher]

16. Calculus is the main tool for econ. nt

[OnlinePoker]

15. We'll see how many extra are added from here on with the subsidies slashed. n/t