Scaling it down to a family
In order to scale the huge CO2 numbers down to what the individual can relate to, imagine an average Danish family of 5 people in a 170m2 house with a freezer, washer and dryer. They will use around 6000kWh/year in electricity. Conventional power generation which is usually a mix of different technologies leads to CO2 emissions of 600-800g/kWh. A photovoltaic installation providing 6000 kWh per year will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 4 tons.
Germany is the frontrunner
The leading country in Europe for photovoltaic installations is Germany. Here a typical residential installation is 5kW (app. 5000kWh) and the total installation cost is around €20,000. Due to government grants, the payback time is around 9 years. In Germany, a so called feed-in tariff is used, which means the public utility is required to buy electricity from renewable sources at an advantageous price (to the seller), making the investment worthwhile for the owner of the renewable installation. For a typical residential installation, the feed-in tariff is currently around 0.40€/kWh.
Danfoss’ solar inverters ensure 98% energy utilization
A solar power installation normally consists of solar cell modules mounted onto a frame attached to the roof or to ground mounted structures. An inverter is connected to the solar cell modules and it converts the direct current produced by the solar panels into an alternating current which can be supplied to the public utility. Danfoss produces and sells solar inverters. Being highly efficient, the inverters ensure that up to 98% of the energy available is supplied to the grid. This makes inverters from Danfoss among the most efficient in the market. The inverters range from 1.8kW to 15kW. The production capacity is 1GW, which means that Danfoss’ solar inverters can contribute to a yearly reduction of 700,000 tons CO2.
Source: 1) Joint report by the global Solar Trade Associations: "Seizing the Solar Solution: Combating climate change through accelerated deployment" (2009).