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TOP TIP

One of the best tips that we can offer is to consider the possibility of capitalizing on the benefits of solar energy.

As a decentralized energy supply, one big advantage is that solar energy is largely in the hands of the public.

Take the nation of Germany for example, which is a leading country in the use of solar power.

Just under 60% of the approximately 1.6 million solar power systems in Germany are owned by private individuals, more than 12% are owned by farmers and about 27% are owned by commercial enterprises and project developers (system distribution as of 2016).

By contrast, the four major energy supply companies in Germany - EnBW, Eon, RWE and Vattenfall - only own around 0.2% of the solar power plants.

The expansion of solar energy contributes significantly to breaking up and democratizing the one-sided structure of the energy supply market - the "big four" have a market share of around 80%.

Another advantage is that solar power generates electricity where it is consumed.

More than 98% of solar power systems in Germany feed into the low and medium voltage grid in a decentralized manner, which, for example, supplies households with electricity.

The solar power is either consumed directly by the plant operator or in the immediate vicinity.

Finally, solar power generation is renewable and environmentally friendly.

In Germany, the average annual solar radiation is roughly equivalent to the energy content of 100 liters of heating oil.

Depending on the location, around 800 to 1,050 kWh of solar power per kilowatt peak of plant output can be generated annually.

In operation, solar power systems emit neither harmful greenhouse gases such as CO2 nor pollutants such as nitrogen oxides or heavy metals.

On the other hand, pollutants and greenhouse gases are produced during production and transport, but their amount is very low compared to fossil or nuclear energy sources (up to 98% less depending on the type of solar cell).

As a result of the expansion of solar power production, an ever larger part of the pollutant emissions resulting from conventional power generation is avoided.

In 2016 alone, solar power was responsible for saving 24 million tons of CO2 emissions.