Photovoltaics & Prime Costs: Fraunhofer ISE Study Shows the Cost Revolution

The Importance of Green Electricity

The efficient generation of green electricity is becoming increasingly important – as Christoph Kost, energy system analysis expert at Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg, impressively demonstrated at the Greentech.LIVE conference in Hamburg.

In his latest study, which is now in its sixth edition, he shows that photovoltaics and integrated battery storage significantly undercut conventional power plants in terms of electricity generation costs.

In addition to technical parameters, the study also takes into account financing costs, fuel prices, and CO₂ certificate prices in order to determine the average generation costs of various energy technologies.

While small rooftop systems cost between around 7 and 15 cents per kilowatt hour, large-scale PV systems achieve even lower values.

The integration of battery storage systems also offers the possibility of optimally covering electricity requirements even during hours with little sunshine.

The Economic Disadvantage of Conventional Power Plants

Christoph Kost emphasizes that conventional power plants – especially those that are burdened with high CO₂ prices – have significantly more expensive electricity generation costs. Only through a massive expansion of renewable energies and the targeted use of storage can the electricity market be sustainably transformed and low electricity prices achieved in the long term.

Kost and Fraunhofer ISE’s study provides clear figures that prove this: The cost-efficient generation of green electricity is not only an environmental recipe for success, but also an economic one – a decisive step towards a sustainable energy future.