Viennese saddened
Solar system will not be profitable for almost 300 years
One year of slumber, then finally electricity from the roof. But as soon as Vienna's PV showcase project is up and running, disillusionment sets in: the yield is so meagre that residents can only expect to see a return on their investment in 291 years.
It was finished, paid for and completely useless for a year. 73 solar panels on the roof of a Viennese apartment building, installed in August 2024, investment sum of over 81,000 euros - but not a single kilowatt flowed. The photovoltaic system was in a deep sleep while the first maintenance was already imminent. Only the intervention of the "Krone" got things moving. A data error at Wien Energie, it was later said, delayed everything.
A clouded happy ending
On December 10, 2025, the time had finally come: the system supplied electricity to the building's tenants for the first time. Solar energy finally came from the roof - just in time for the dark season. However, the initial euphoria quickly gave way to a sober realization.
Because the green yield is manageable. The system only works for a few hours around midday and there is no storage system. In the first week, the solar power covered just 2,242 kilowatt hours out of a total of 37,084 kilowatt hours - that's a meagre six percent self-sufficiency.
Annual savings: a "whopping" 7.14 euros
For one of the residents, this means an annual saving of around 7.14 euros on the electricity price. However, his share of the installation costs amounts to 2080 euros. The calculation is both sobering and unintentionally comical: amortization would be reached after 291 years. "So I can only hope that on future sunny days, the proportion of self-coverage will increase," writes the now 81-year-old with dry humor. He himself doubts whether he will live to see the end of the bill.
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Mit freundlichen Grüßen
das krone.at-Team
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