The editorial staff of Forbes Advisor Germany works independently and objectively.In order to finance our research and to be able to make the articles available to our readers free of charge, we use two main sources of income:We provide advertisers with advertising space where they can present their offers.The compensation we receive for doing so affects how and where the ads appear on the site.Ads are visually separated from the editorial content.Advertisers usually determine what the ads look like and what is in them.Not all companies advertise their products this way.As a result of extensive research and analysis, our editorial team recommends specific products or providers in some articles.If the recommended companies not only want to be named in the article, but also linked to, you can arrange so-called affiliate links with us.If you click on one of these affiliate links, you will be taken to the recommended offer or company and we will usually be compensated.You can recognize such a link in the body text by an asterisk (*) behind it.Compensation for affiliate links does not affect the recommendations our editors make.Only companies that our editorial team recommends can receive an affiliate link with mention as an editorial recommendation from us.Providers that are not recommended cannot “buy” an editorial recommendation.We make every effort to provide accurate and up-to-date information that we think will be of interest to you.However, Forbes Advisor cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of this website.Some of our articles include comparison calculators from partner companies.Many offers in the comparison calculators are provided with "advertising links" (affiliate links).If you click on such an offer and a contract is concluded, we usually receive a small commission.With this you support the independent work of the editorial team.In most cases, where technically possible, we have preset the computers to be user-friendly according to our editorial criteria.The editorial staff of Forbes Advisor Germany works independently and objectively.In order to finance our research and to be able to make the articles available to our readers free of charge, we use two main sources of income:We provide advertisers with advertising space where they can present their offers.The compensation we receive for doing so affects how and where the ads appear on the site.Ads are visually separated from the editorial content.Advertisers usually determine what the ads look like and what is in them.Not all companies advertise their products this way.As a result of extensive research and analysis, our editorial team recommends specific products or providers in some articles.If the recommended companies not only want to be named in the article, but also linked to, you can arrange so-called affiliate links with us.If you click on one of these affiliate links, you will be taken to the recommended offer or company and we will usually be compensated.You can recognize such a link in the body text by an asterisk (*) behind it.Compensation for affiliate links does not affect the recommendations our editors make.Only companies that our editorial team recommends can receive an affiliate link with mention as an editorial recommendation from us.Providers that are not recommended cannot “buy” an editorial recommendation.We make every effort to provide accurate and up-to-date information that we think will be of interest to you.However, Forbes Advisor cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of this website.Some of our articles include comparison calculators from partner companies.Many offers in the comparison calculators are provided with "advertising links" (affiliate links).If you click on such an offer and a contract is concluded, we usually receive a small commission.With this you support the independent work of the editorial team.In most cases, where technically possible, we have preset the computers to be user-friendly according to our editorial criteria.The International Space Station (ISS) has been orbiting the earth for 18 years.It produces electricity independently with 16 photovoltaic modules, which means that it does not require any other energy sources such as coal, oil or gas.What is already reality in space is still a dream of the future on earth - in 2021 only just under 41% of all electricity was produced from renewable energies, 11% of it from solar energy.In Germany, we must continue to expand renewable energies in order to be able to do without fossil fuels at some point.The federal government wants to speed up the expansion and presented a draft law in April.It stipulates that anyone who feeds the entire electricity from their photovoltaic system into the grid will receive significantly more money than before.You can sell the electricity from your own photovoltaic system lucratively or use it yourself.In both cases you contribute to Germany becoming less dependent on coal, oil and the like.You can find out in our guide whether a photovoltaic system (PV system) is worthwhile for you.How much electricity a PV system produces depends on how much solar radiation it receives.Various factors come together here:Geographical location.The closer a photovoltaic system is to the equator, the more sunlight it captures.The distance between the earth and the sun is shortest at the equator, which is why it is very warm there.PV systems in southern Germany therefore produce more solar power than systems in northern Germany (Munich: 1,041 kWh/m², Hamburg: 890 kWh/m²).But be careful: Temperatures that are too hot can also reduce the yield again - if the modules heat up too much, they no longer work properly.Therefore, places with lots of sunshine and cool temperatures are ideal.roof orientation.The sun moves throughout the day.Here in Germany it shines from the south for the longest time, which is why south-facing roofs have an advantage.East- and west-facing roofs are now also worthwhile.Only roofs facing north are usually not worthwhile for a PV system because they are mostly in the shade.tilt angle.Depending on the time of year and location, the sun's rays hit the solar modules at a different angle.If the roof of your house has a pitch of 35 to 45 degrees, most angles of solar radiation will be covered.If you have a flat roof, then the photovoltaic modules are mounted on the scaffolding with such an angle of inclination.shading.Trees, chimneys or other houses can cause shading on the PV modules.Despite strong sunshine, less electricity is produced in shady areas.You should pay particular attention to the trees around your house, because even if they are not currently casting a shadow on the PV system, they may be able to in a few years.module variant.A photovoltaic module strings together many solar cells.These are usually made of silicon.There are three variants of modules (see table).They differ according to how the silicon is processed and made into a module.Mono and polycrystalline modules are made from cast silicon.In the case of thin-film modules, on the other hand, glass is sprayed with a thin layer of silicon or cadmium telluride.The modules have different degrees of efficiency and work better or worse in certain weather conditions.The efficiency is higher, the more electricity the module can generate from solar energy.A thin-film module, for example, is less efficient, but produces comparatively more solar power on cloudy days than modules with a higher efficiency.Source: Damen und Sanieren .April 2022.Size.Of course, how much electricity it produces also depends on the size of your photovoltaic system.The more solar panels that can capture sunlight, the more electricity.In order to calculate how much electricity a photovoltaic system can produce, all factors must be taken into account.Specialist companies specializing in photovoltaics can advise you if you are stuck with the planning yourself.An alternative to large PV systems for the roof are so-called balcony power plants.You can plan and set up these mini solar systems for the balcony, terrace or garden yourself without a specialist company.Put simply: the larger the system on your roof, the higher the acquisition costs.But also: the larger the system, the more energy it can generate.The maximum performance is measured in the unit kilowatt peak (kWp).1 kWp means that the system delivers 1,000 watts under optimal conditions – strong sunshine but enough wind to cool the modules.The unit is also used to compare PV systems with each other.In order to see what your solar system costs you, you have to consider how much energy you want it to generate.Rule of thumb: In Germany, a photovoltaic system with 1 kWp ideally generates around 1,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year.Also consider how many square meters of your roof you want them installed on.4 solar modules or around 8 square meters (m²) of space are required per kWp.The table provides a classification.Price examples for photovoltaic systems (net)What is striking: the larger the PV system, the lower the costs per kilowatt peak.While you pay around 1,600 euros net per kWp for smaller systems, larger systems cost around 1,330 euros net per kWp.Larger systems usually pay for themselves faster - at least if you manage to consume the larger amount of electricity and not feed too much of it into the public grid.If you often produce more electricity than you can use directly yourself, then in some cases a power storage device makes sense as a buffer.This means that you can also use the electricity you produce yourself at night or on dark days. A power storage unit makes you even more independent of the electricity supplier, so you have to buy less electricity.Depending on the storage capacity, you will have to pay another 6,000 to 10,000 euros.Some federal states have special subsidy programs for electricity storage (see below) that you can use to reduce costs.Have a specialist company calculate whether and when a power storage system would pay off in your situation.In addition to the actual costs for the photovoltaic modules, you must also consider the following items:Many of the items are often already included in the service provider's costs and you will receive a larger bill.You should check what is included in the offer so that you do not experience any nasty surprises when you receive the invoice.In addition, you can have other measuring or protection systems such as a smart meter or surge protection installed, which cost extra.You should also think about insurance: either you insure the system with your residential building insurance or look for your own photovoltaic insurance.In order to accelerate the energy turnaround and make it easier for people to purchase photovoltaic systems, the federal, state, local authorities and energy suppliers offer various funding options.KfW loan: The Reconstruction Loan Corporation (KfW) offers a low-interest loan from 1.94% APR for photovoltaic systems.You can also use the loan to co-finance electricity storage.The Kf also grants the loan if you plan to claim the feed-in tariff (see below).Regional subsidies: Federal states usually subsidize investment in an electricity storage system that is put into operation in connection with a new photovoltaic system.For example, if you live in Berlin and would like to purchase an electricity storage device, you can have it subsidized with a maximum of 15,000 euros (300 euros per kWh of usable capacity) as part of the EnergiespeicherPLUS funding program.Since the demand for such funding is currently very high, some federal states are currently not accepting any new applications.You can find an overview of regional funding programs in the funding database of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.Municipal subsidies: Many German cities and municipalities offer subsidy programs for photovoltaic systems.In Essen, for example, you get 750 euros for a 4 kWp system.Munich subsidizes each kWp with 200 euros.Check with your city to see if they will contribute to the purchase of your system.Subsidies from energy suppliers: Some energy suppliers also provide their customers with subsidies, for example in the form of a one-time subsidy or an increase in the feed-in tariff.You are usually only entitled as a customer, and there may be conditions attached to the promotions, such as recruiting new customers.Here you should check carefully whether the funding is worth it or whether it is more work.Using your solar power yourself is very lucrative.In a study, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE compared various "levelized electricity costs", i.e. the costs incurred for converting energy into electricity.According to the study, the electricity generation costs for PV systems under 30 kWp are between 3.12 and 11.01 cents/kWh.For systems with electricity storage, the costs are slightly higher, at 5.24 to 19.72 cents/kWh.In contrast to the current electricity prices at the energy supplier, this is very little.In our sample calculation, we assume an annual yield from your photovoltaic system and an annual electricity requirement of 4,000 kWh each.With a term of 20 years, you save 11,820 euros with self-consumption of 30%.If you increase your self-consumption to 60% with an electricity storage device, you save 18,320 euros.If there is still electricity after self-consumption and storage, for example because you were on vacation and therefore used less, then you can feed it into the public grid and get money for it.There are two options here:Feed-in tariff: If you feed electricity into the power grid, the grid operator responsible for you pays a fee for each kilowatt fed in.However, the amount of the remuneration decreases monthly.In January 2021 it was still 8.16 cents/kWh, now you only get 6.53 cents (as of April 2022).However, the government plans to increase the feed-in tariff.The amount of the remuneration should depend on the performance of the PV system.With a system up to 10 KW, for example, you get 6.93 cents per kWh fed in.If you decide to feed in all of the electricity and not to use anything yourself, then depending on the output of the system, you should add another 6.87 cents (at a maximum of 10 KW).Your network operator would then pay you 13.8 cents/kWh.For example, if you feed 4,000 kWh into the power grid per year, you will receive a feed-in tariff of 552 euros.The new law is scheduled to come into force on July 1, 2022 and only applies to photovoltaic systems that are newly built.Therefore, you should wait a little longer with the construction if you want to feed in fully.Direct marketing: Alternatively, you can also market the electricity directly.Various providers then sell your electricity on the electricity exchange.This is usually only worthwhile if you feed in a large amount of electricity.Using a random sample from one provider, we calculated how much you would earn from direct marketing if you sold 100% of your electricity (we assumed 4,000 kWh).The result: the market value of the electricity is higher (302 euros instead of 261 euros feed-in tariff), but you pay the provider a so-called marketing fee, which reduces your profit.Direct marketing is only mandatory from 100 kWp.But you would need a 700 m² PV system for this.A PV system is a large investment that will pay for itself over the years.You usually have the time.Manufacturers often give a 25-year performance guarantee on PV systems, meaning that the system will still provide a certain percentage of output after a certain period of time.The warranty for inverters is usually 5 years, but you can extend it for an additional charge.The more electricity your system produces, the faster you will recover the costs.On average, it is assumed that you will get your invested money back after 9 to 16 years.Then you earn money with the system.How economical a photovoltaic system is ultimately depends on several factors:Annual yield: How much electricity your system produces in one year.This value is variable depending on what the weather was like that year.Amount of the feed-in tariff: The amount of the feed-in tariff is determined when you put your photovoltaic system into operation.The value is therefore fixed for 20 years.Electricity costs: You will still have to buy electricity, especially if you don't have an electricity storage system.Electricity is getting more and more expensive.The less you have to buy, the sooner you can recoup the costs of the PV system.This value is therefore variable.Self-consumption rate: How much self-produced electricity do you use?As a rule, self-consumption is 20 to 30%.If you have an electricity storage device, the rate increases to 60%.The higher the self-consumption and the less purchased electricity you need, the faster the system will pay for itself.You can increase your own consumption, for example by operating a heat pump with the electricity produced or by charging an electric car.Acquisition costs: This factor is clear.The higher the acquisition costs, the longer you pay off.That's why it's important to get several offers and compare them carefully before you buy a system.This also includes whether you took out a loan for the purchase.This extends the payback period by an average of 1-3 years.Running costs: You should also factor in the costs for maintenance or insurance, for example.Here one assumes 1% of the purchase price per year.Specialist companies will advise you on the profitability of the planned photovoltaic system and can tell you when the system will probably have amortized.With a photovoltaic system, you are making a contribution to the energy revolution and, in the best case scenario, you can also save a lot on electricity costs.You have to invest first - depending on the size, a system costs between 6,400 and 13,300 euros on average.You can get support, for example with a KfW loan, regional or municipal subsidies.How much electricity costs you save and when the PV system has amortized depends heavily on how much of the self-produced electricity you can use yourself - the more, the better.With an electricity storage system, the investment costs increase, but you also save more electricity costs after amortization.A photovoltaic system usually pays for itself after 10 to 14 years.You feed excess solar power into the power grid and receive a (small) feed-in tariff for it.Since this keeps falling, it is hardly worth it alone.In many cases, it makes sense to seek advice from a specialist company when planning and calculating the profitability of the solar system.With a photovoltaic system (PV system) you can convert sunlight into electricity.Photo is derived from the Greek word for light, volt means the unit for electrical voltage.The most important component is the photovoltaic module.In each module, many small solar cells convert sunlight into electricity.A solar cell consists of two layers of silicon.The sun's energy releases electrons (electrically charged elementary particles) from one layer and migrates to the other silicon layer.This creates an electrical voltage between the two layers, which is measured in volts.Thin wires conduct the electricity from the solar cells and PV modules via the inverter and electricity meter into the power grid.The federal states decide on a photovoltaic system obligation.In some countries, for example, there has been an obligation for new buildings since the beginning of 2022, for example in Baden-Württemberg or Hamburg.If your roof needs to be renovated, you will be obliged to install a PV system in Berlin from 2023, for example.Parking spaces with more than 35 spaces must be roofed over in NRW and equipped with photovoltaics.Other countries, on the other hand, have not yet implemented any concrete plans or corresponding laws, such as Bremen, Saxony or Bavaria.On average, the sun only shines around 1650 hours a year, i.e. almost 20% of the whole year (as of 2021).In the extreme comparison to the Sahara with 4300 hours of sunshine, this is relatively little.But: The conditions for solar power in Germany are actually ideal.Many solar panels produce less electricity when they get too hot.Days with lots of sunlight but cool temperatures or light winds are ideal.In spring, therefore, the yields tend to be better than in summer.According to Echtsolar, spring 2020 (April, May and June) contributed the largest share to the annual yield with 40%.The rumor persists: The fire brigade is having houses with photovoltaics burn down in a controlled manner.The reason is that the components of the system are live when the sun is shining: The Schleswig-Holstein consumer advice center gives the all-clear: House roofs with solar systems are also deleted.In addition, there is no increased risk of fire in houses with systems on the roof.Nina was a technical editor in the IT industry for five years.She has almost completely equipped her apartment with smart home technology and can switch off the heating by voice command from the couch.At Forbes Advisor, she also cares about energy and smart home topics.Otherwise, Nina likes to write about technology and internet topics.As a former veterinary assistant, she is an expert on pet issues.