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Diffusion of photovoltaic technology in Germany: A sustainable success or an illusion driven by guaranteed feed-in tariffs?

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  • Baur, Lucia
  • Uriona M., Mauricio

Abstract

Germany has served as a role model in photovoltaic technology diffusion amongst house owners in the last two decades. A strong feed-in tariff scheme based on the Renewable Energies Act (EEG) supported - and to some extent - enabled this development, but due to skyrocketing costs it already has been and will be further reduced. So far changes in public policy have only slightly affected house owners with photovoltaic panels on their own house, but future policies have not been decided yet. This article uses the methodology of System Dynamics to develop a model of the German photovoltaic market for small plants on private houses and tests public policies. Amongst them are different scenarios regarding the reduction or even removal of the feed-in tariff scheme in Germany. The results can improve German public policies in the field of photovoltaic technology diffusion and serve as an example for other countries and other renewable energy diffusion cases.

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  • Baur, Lucia & Uriona M., Mauricio, 2018. "Diffusion of photovoltaic technology in Germany: A sustainable success or an illusion driven by guaranteed feed-in tariffs?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 289-298.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:150:y:2018:i:c:p:289-298
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2018.02.104
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    17. Xin-gang, Zhao & Wei, Wang & Jieying, Wang, 2022. "The policy effects of demand-pull and technology-push on the diffusion of wind power: A scenario analysis based on system dynamics approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(PA).
    18. Hidayatno, Akhmad & Setiawan, Andri D. & Wikananda Supartha, I Made & Moeis, Armand O. & Rahman, Irvanu & Widiono, Eddie, 2020. "Investigating policies on improving household rooftop photovoltaics adoption in Indonesia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 731-742.
    19. Diana Enescu & Alessandro Ciocia & Udayanga I. K. Galappaththi & Harsha Wickramasinghe & Francesco Alagna & Angela Amato & Francisco Díaz-González & Filippo Spertino & Valeria Cocina, 2023. "Energy Tariff Policies for Renewable Energy Development: Comparison between Selected European Countries and Sri Lanka," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-26, February.
    20. Chayjan, Melika Rezaei & Dehghanian, Farzad & Kakhki, Mohammad Daneshvar, 2024. "Modeling residential photovoltaic adoption: A system dynamics approach for solar energy expansion," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    21. Ghaboulian Zare, Sara & Alipour, Mohammad & Hafezi, Mehdi & Stewart, Rodney A. & Rahman, Anisur, 2022. "Examining wind energy deployment pathways in complex macro-economic and political settings using a fuzzy cognitive map-based method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(PA).

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