Germany Leading the Way with Solar Photovoltaic Installations
By Mark J. Donovan
|
|
Last week I was in Hinterzarten and Nuremburg Germany visiting colleagues and attending a sensor show. While traveling in planes, trains, and automobiles throughout Germany I couldn’t help but notice all of the solar panels being deployed. Many were mounted on the roofs of homes, farm houses, and apartment buildings, however, I also saw a number of fields literally filled with large arrays of solar panels as I drove from Hinterzarten to Nuremburg.
Talking with some of my German colleagues they said the German government has recently announced plans to proliferate the installation of solar panels throughout the country and close all of its Nuclear power plants by 2022. |
Part of the reason for the announcement was related to Japan’s recent Earthquakes and subsequent nuclear reactor melt downs. Though Germany’s plans seem ambitious, based on the amount of solar panel parks already being constructed it appears they are committed and on track to achieving their goals. My colleagues also stated that the German government is offering significant tax breaks and incentives for homeowners to install their own solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on their homes. As of 2010, Germany had already deployed 17,000 MegaWatts (MW) of Solar generated power.
| Regardless of whether or not Germany will be able to achieve its goal of closing all of its nuclear power plants by 2022, their solar PV installation plans and efforts to date are commendable, particularly when you consider the fact that they have limited sunny days per year. They are by no means a Saudi Arabia desert with nearly year round sunshine.
The United States and other countries around the world should follow Germany’s lead. Though the United States offers some level of tax credits for residential solar energy installations they don’t go far enough. |
 |
In addition, with current government policy that stifles off-shore drilling and oil production, you’d think the current executive administration would be offering more than lip service for going “green”. I’m curious why we in the United States don’t hear about large Solar PV parks being installed to address our country’s energy needs and costs. To me, the silence by the administration on this issue only helps to cement my feelings that we don’t have an energy policy in the United States, other than to have the United States citizen revert back to another time in history.
Hopefully Germany’s audacious “going green” plans will be heard around the world so that the United States and other countries will soon follow suit.
For help on building a home addition, see HomeAdditionPlus.com’s Home Addition Bid Sheets. Our Home Addition Bid Sheets provide you with the knowledge and information on how to plan a home addition project, and what to look for when hiring contractors. They also include detailed cost breakdown tables and spreadsheets for estimating your own new home addition building costs.
Related Information
Home Theater Systems and Books from Amazon.com
  |
 |
Free Home Addition Price Quotes with No Obligation!
Fill out our 3-5 minute quick and easy form, and receive a free price quote on a house addition from one of our prescreened and licensed home addition contractors. This process is free and there is no obligation to continue once you receive your house addition price estimate.