In order to scale those huge CO2 numbers down to what the individual can relate to, imagine an average Danish family of five people in an average house with a freezer, washer and dryer. They will use around 6,000 kWh/year in electricity.
Conventional power generation, which is usually a mix of different technologies, would lead to CO2 emissions of 600-800 g/kWh. A photovoltaic installation providing 6,000 kWh per year will reduce those CO2 emissions by approximately 4 tons.
Germany is the frontrunner
The leading country in Europe for solar photovoltaic installations is Germany. Here a typical residential installation is 5kW and the total installation cost is around €8,500 (as of October 2012, excluding value added tax). Due to government incentives, the pay-back time is around 10 to 12 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 a pre-defined price, making the investment worthwhile for the owner of the renewable installation.
Danfoss’ solar inverters ensure 98% energy utilization
A solar photovoltaic 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 2kW to 15kW. The production capacity is 1GW, which means that Danfoss’ solar inverters can contribute to a yearly reduction of 700,000 tons CO2.
Sources: Danfoss (2012), SOLAREC (2010), European Environment Agency (2012), and Solar Trade Associations (2009). Click the link below to see the sources.