Solar Panel Mandate In Marburg: Too Green, Too Soon?

MARBURG, Germany -- This fairy-tale town is stuck in the middle of a utopian struggle over renewable energy. The town council's decision to require solar-heating panels has thrown Marburg into a vehement debate over the boundaries of ecological good citizenship and led opponents to charge that their genteel town has turned into a "green dictatorship."

The town council took the significant step in June of moving from merely encouraging citizens to install solar panels to making them an obligation. The ordinance, the first of its kind in Germany, will require solar panels not only on new buildings, which fewer people oppose, but also on existing homes that undergo renovations or get new heating systems or roof repairs.

To give the regulation teeth, a fine of 1,000 euros, about $1,500, awaits those who do not comply.

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Comments

[leduck]

right now, i'd rather have germany's problems then ours

[sheila]

personally, i think that a combined carrot and stick is the only way to do this. yes, require it, but make it painless for people by paying them for power produced, loaning them the install money for low interest, making the entire system tax deductible, etc.

listen, we are either serious about renewable energy or not. if we are, then we need all structures to move quickly towards net zero energy consumption and greatly reduce their GHG emissions, reduce grid congestion, and give people incentives to conserve and green their energy, and provide disincentives to waste, over-consumption and dirty fuels.

if we aren't serious enough about renewables to get every structure involved, then we need to forget about killing off our beautiful open spaces for massive, wasteful, poisonous solar and wind plants and huge, lengthy, wasteful power lines that only re-entrench energy monopolies, force families from their homes and lead to inevitable hijacking for rates and infrastructure costs...

[Exusian]

I'd like to see a requirement that all new construction use ground-source geothermal heat pumps, and an incentive program to assist retrofitting them in existing residential properties.

[RememberTheAlamo]

Hi Exusian,

Am enthused by your entusiasm!

Geothermal sure looks economical on its own merits . . . don't know that additional incentives would be necessary . . . and they are simple!

As to requirements for new construction . . . While I think it is an outstanding idea for new developments (and am following my words with money) . . . adding it as a requirement would just mess the entire idea up.. . . if it is a good idea, (much like the prius) the market place will pick up on it and pick up on it fast.

[RememberTheAlamo]

Sounds like New Jersey . . . . oops!

[KillTheMessenger]

Are you saying there is intelligent life in the US, after all?

[RememberTheAlamo]

Hi KillTheMessenger,

One can only hope!

NJ started a a $100 million program to pay for solar power installations in residential houses . . . the program paid for the lions share of the cost up to like $40k? . . . the photos of the homes with these systems are outstanding (mansions).

With more applications for reimbursement than money, the state suddenly shut the program down in january (this year). . . . with the tacit recognition that with all the money that was being spent for solar . . . it was actually benefitting the truly wealthy and hadn't done a thing to mitigate energy consumption.

The NJ state departure from supporting solar energy left a mom-and-pop cottage industry holding worthless state promises for reimbursement.

Talk about a field of broken dreams!

Now, they ought to offer "bonus density" to developers if they utilize solar AND geothermal in that state . . . . and get out of trying to make solar something the taxpayer should pay for.

Their hearts were in the right place . . . but it is a bureaucratic blue state and execution was a little weak!

Hope their memories are short!