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https://reasonstobecheerful.world/balcony-solar-renewables-technology-game-changing/>
"The sun was shining brightly one August morning in Möckernkiez, a minimalist
housing complex beside the leafy Gleisdreieck Park in central Berlin.
Inaugurated in 2018, the innovative, cooperative-run estate is a model of green
living. More than 3,000 residents across 471 apartments in the car-free
district receive heat and electricity via clean energy such as biogas and
rooftop solar.
And two years ago, the residents received a novel boost to their green energy
supply when 70 solar panels were installed on their balconies. Today, the
panels are dotted all across building façades, hanging beside plants and racks
of drying clothes.
“It was the wish of several residents,” says Bernhard Drechsel, technical
director at Möckernkiez. “They came together and proposed this. They wanted to
make an extra individual effort.”
In doing so, the residents joined the ranks of what are today more than a
million people across Germany who have installed
balkonkraftwerk (balcony
solar), an increasingly popular renewable energy technology that is
democratizing access to solar across Europe’s largest economy. While each unit
currently only produces a modest amount of energy, the cumulative impact of
their large-scale adoption is contributing to Germany’s target of sourcing 80
percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
Balcony solar — also known as “plug-in” solar, since it can be connected
directly to a wall outlet — is accessible to practically anyone that has
minimal outdoor space with decent sunlight, including those who may not even
have a balcony.
Installation, which requires little more than plugging in the appliance, is
easily done without an electrician. And thanks to falling production costs and
government subsidies for balcony solar units, which can be bought online or in
stores for just a few hundred euros, it’s easier than ever for individuals to
produce their own green energy.
The result is that these panels are opening the solar market to huge numbers of
German citizens, including renters previously excluded from access to domestic
solar generation due to red tape for rooftop panels, which often requires users
to own their residence and to obtain permission from a local utility."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
