Physicists from Oldenburg are investigating the energy yield of photovoltaic systems in northern Germany

A range of photovoltaic systems (solar panels) from various manufacturers, utilising different technologies, are currently available in Germany. But which system is best suited to which climate? What are the differences, for example, between northern and southern Germany? This forms the backdrop to a research project in which the Institute of Physics at the University of Oldenburg is playing a key role, funded by the German Federal Environmental Foundation (Osnabrück) with just under 100,000 euros. Together with Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, the Oldenburg-based researchers, led by Dr Annette Hammer (Energy Meteorology Research Group), aim to determine which technology and which system is best suited to northern German weather conditions. To this end, four further systems will be installed on the roof of Osnabrück’s ‘Stadthaus’, which already houses two systems using different module technologies.
Previous studies have focused exclusively on southern Germany. “As we are currently witnessing rapid development of ever-new module types, particularly in the thin-film sector,” says Annette Hammer, “comparative studies are urgently needed. There is a great deal of interest amongst experts.”
Results and yield forecasts from southern Germany cannot be applied to the solar radiation conditions in northern Germany, explains the Oldenburg-based physicist, “as not only does solar radiation decrease from southern to northern Germany, but the so-called ‘diffuse component’ also increases”. The focus of interest is on how different materials behave under cloudy conditions (with predominantly blue light) and when the sun is low in the sky (with predominantly red light). Contact: Dr Annette Hammer, Energy Meteorology Research Group, Institute of Physics,
Tel. 0441/798-3545, Email: