In the opinion of Lower Saxony’s Environment Minister Olaf Lies, new buildings in Germany should be equipped with photovoltaic systems. “We need this obligation nationwide. Every roof that is newly erected must be covered with photovoltaics. This then applies to single-family homes as well as to commercial buildings or, logically, to public buildings,” said the SPD politician of the German press agency in Hannover.
In 2022, Lower Saxony will chair the Conference of Environment Ministers. According to previous plans, the federal states’ environment ministers meet in Wilhelmshaven in May and in Goslar in November. A special conference of environment ministers is also planned.
“Pays off after a few years”
The question of photovoltaics does not only play a role in new buildings, one also has to find solutions for how to deal with renovations, explained Lies. “Covering your own roof area with photovoltaics is always worthwhile. Then I generate electricity for perhaps six or seven cents a kilowatt hour, otherwise I would have to buy electricity for almost 30 cents. It pays for itself after a few years and the prices remain constant.”
This obligation is to be included in a revised climate law in Lower Saxony, which, according to Lies, should be decided by the state parliament before the summer break.
Renewable energies slightly down
The coalition agreement of the new federal government states: “All suitable roof areas are to be used for solar energy in the future. This should be mandatory for new commercial buildings and the rule for new private buildings.”
According to data from the Federal Statistical Office, 13.3 percent of the amount of electricity generated in Germany came from photovoltaics in the third quarter of the previous year. Overall, the share of renewable energies in total electricity feed-in was 43.1 percent, slightly below the previous year’s period (43.9 percent).
Criticism of the Union
With regard to the traffic light coalition in the federal government, Lies emphasized: “We experienced severe braking in the old government, especially on the part of the Federal Ministry of Economics, in the expansion of renewable energies, as well as generally from the Union at the federal level. Many issues were the same in the previous constellation simply not feasible. “
The minister went on to say: “At the traffic lights we are already noticing that we are no longer arguing whether we need to expand renewable energies more, but rather how we can work it out together. That is a completely different spirit of cooperation.”
(tiw)