August 30 (Renewables Now) – Photovoltaics (PV) maker Hanwha Q Cells GmbH, renewables company Naturstrom AG and six other companies from the energy sector have joined the Masterplan Solarcity initiative in Berlin that aims to accelerate the expansion of solar power in the German capital and have signed partnership agreements with Berlin’s Senate.
The other partners in the initiative include Auxolar GmbH, Berlin Brandenburg Energy Network, Berlin Partner fuer Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH, BuergerEnergie Berlin eG, Stromnetz Berlin GmbH and Zolar GmbH.
The companies participating in the initiative have pledged to support the achievement of specific goals, remove obstacles and develop ideas that would speed up solar power expansion in Berlin.
The Masterplan Solarcity initiative was launched in March 2020 by Berlin’s Senate in line with the Berlin Energy and Climate Protection Programme 2030 that aims to make the city carbon-neutral by 2050. The initiative includes 27 measures meant to create incentives and better framework conditions that would help accelerate the installation of solar power capacity in the city.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE sees potential for expanding the share of solar power to 25% of Berlin’s energy mix with the help of rooftop solar PV systems. The German capital must install 4,400 MWp of solar PV capacity by 2050 to generate 14 petajoules of solar power per year, according to a study conducted by the institute.
