No wind developers bid against their solar PV counterparts in Germany’s latest technology-neutral tender, meaning solar PV has now swept up in each of the country’s six joint auction rounds.
The German federal energy regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur (BNA), awarded contracts to 43 solar PV projects, of 201.9MW combined capacity.
The tender – with an initial allocation of 200MW – was again massively oversubscribed, attracting 91 bids totalling 518.1MW.
Prices were in the €51.80-54.50/MWh range, with a weighted average of €53.30/MWh – slightly above the €52.30 seen in the latest solar PV-only tender.
By comparison, in Germany's most recent onshore wind-only tender, successful bids were in the €56-62/MWh range, with a weighted average of €61.90/MWh.
These average prices and ranges have largely stabilised, while all of Germany’s 2020 onshore wind-only tenders have been undersubscribed.
The head of Germany’s wind energy association (BWE) has repeatedly called for the government to scrap the joint solar-wind auctions.
Wolfram Axthelm argues that “they neglect the effects of the overall system”.
Germany’s next technology specific – wind- and solar-only – tenders are scheduled for 1 December.
