Is the purchase of a solar power plant profitable?

Because of the increased feed refund, the operation of a solar power plant is economically feasible. Depending on the mode of calculation, the current funding conditions provide more or less yield, and: the life expectancy of a photovoltaic plant is more than 20 years!

How much does a solar plant cost?

Costs are very much dependent on local conditions. Among the individual solar modules there are as well huge differences in prices and quality. A precise value may be given only after an inspection of your roof and the selection of the desired modules and inverters. Please contact us. We will gladly consult you and give you a non-committal offer.

Where do I get the money from?

You sign a feed contract with the grid provider, defining the legal regulations such as refunding, but also specifying modes of payment and charges. In case of annual payment, the additional meter fee (ca. 40.00/year) is often abated.

What other costs occur by operating the plant?

We recommend an annual maintenance in order to secure warranty claims and to avoid loss of gain, due to abnormal operation.

Should I insure my plant?

We recommend an insurance against natural hazards (storm, hail, etc.). The buildings insurance may cover these hazards in agreement with your insurer, however, this may easily raise the rates, due to increased value of the building. Higher insurance is provided by all-risks insurances covering also theft, lightning stroke, surcharge, dropouts in gain, etc. Our specialised partners offer such insurances. Any photovoltaic plant implemented by SonnenEnergie GmbH is during the first year of operation covered by an all-risk insurance free of charge.

Should I protect my plant additionally against lighting strokes?

Any inverter is protected against atmospheric disturbances by thermal monitored varistors. Each varistor triggers if lightning strikes in the closer vicinity. Against direct lightning stroke, the inverter may only be protected by additional means. The effort has to be evaluated by a specialised company, depending on local conditions.

How high is the feed refund?

For plants installed before June 2010, the following refund values are valid for the next 20 years (according to February 2010):
Building plants up to 30 kWp (Feed): 39.14 Ct./kWh
Building plants up to 30 kWp (Own consumption): 22.76 Ct./kWh
More than 30 kWp: 37.23 Ct./kWh
More than 100 kWp: 35.23 Ct./kWh
More than 1,000 kWp: 29.37 Ct./kWh
Open-space plants: 28.43 Ct./kWh

How much will I earn with the generated solar power?

The feed refund is defined by the REA. The amount of refund is depending on the type and size of the photovoltaic plant and the date of start-up. For 20 years after that, you will receive the refund valid in the year when the plant started to operate.

A 10 kWp plant installed in 2009, gaining 10 kWh of solar power per year, will provide 4,301.00 Euros in refunds for the next 20 years. Feed refund for 2010 and 2011 may still be subject to change. Depending on the power of those photovoltaics plants installed in 2009, the corrective factor for the feed refund will still be altered by about +/- 1%. Depending on the Degradation of the modules (decrease of power per year), a 10 kWp plant may provide yields of about 77,000 Euros up to more than 80.000 Euros within the next 20 years. After that, the yield will be dependent on the level of the power rates. Producers of solar modules usually offer a liability for the power of their modules. You may expect that high-quality modules will after 20 years still achieve about 90% of the specified initial power.

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