That is the title of a posting in tonight's Inhabitat online newsletter. Read the original article here.
Frankly, I don't know quite what to add to this sort of amazing news. The Inhabitat article mentions that in response to public pressure after the Fukushima disaster in Japan, Germany significantly accelerated its installation of photovoltaics while at the same time shutting down its nuclear generators. But what it doesn't mention is the variety of interesting schemes that make it possible for Germany to have installed such huge renewables capacity, so quickly. Chief amongst them is the mechanism whereby the power generating utility effectively leases a private roof, for the right to install building integrated photovoltaics. For the householder, this represents not only an effective income, but an actual saving in building materials that would otherwise have to be the roof of the dwelling.
This kind of spectacular growth in baseline generation capacity by renewables, shows how ridiculous is all the negative sentiment and opposition, that we experience here in Australia. It makes very clear that even now the photovoltaic technology is sufficiently mature, and with the appropriate incentive schemes, economically viable. Quite clearly it would be able to make much, much more than a marginal impact on how we supply our electricity demand. If only we would bite the bullet, and get on with it.
Frankly, I don't know quite what to add to this sort of amazing news. The Inhabitat article mentions that in response to public pressure after the Fukushima disaster in Japan, Germany significantly accelerated its installation of photovoltaics while at the same time shutting down its nuclear generators. But what it doesn't mention is the variety of interesting schemes that make it possible for Germany to have installed such huge renewables capacity, so quickly. Chief amongst them is the mechanism whereby the power generating utility effectively leases a private roof, for the right to install building integrated photovoltaics. For the householder, this represents not only an effective income, but an actual saving in building materials that would otherwise have to be the roof of the dwelling.
This kind of spectacular growth in baseline generation capacity by renewables, shows how ridiculous is all the negative sentiment and opposition, that we experience here in Australia. It makes very clear that even now the photovoltaic technology is sufficiently mature, and with the appropriate incentive schemes, economically viable. Quite clearly it would be able to make much, much more than a marginal impact on how we supply our electricity demand. If only we would bite the bullet, and get on with it.