City of Berlin to pass law making solar panels mandatory on new buildings
Der Tagesspiegel
Germany鈥檚 capital Berlin aims to take another step towards climate neutrality with a law to expand the number of solar panels on roofs, Tanja A. Buntrock writes in Der Tagesspiegel. The regional parliament is set to vote on 2 March on the law, which would make solar energy compulsory for new buildings and on existing buildings with a surface of more than 50 square metres in case of renovation from 1 January 2023. 鈥淲ith the solar law, we are making Berlin a role model in terms of climate protection and energy transition for other states and municipalities," economy senator Ramona Pop (Green Party) said. Exceptions are provided for cases when a roof faces North or when the installation of solar panels is 鈥渢echnically impossible,鈥� Tagesspiegel writes.
Berlin aims to cover 25 percent of its electricity needs with solar energy by 2050 the latest. The 鈥淪olarcity Master Plan鈥� is part of Berlin鈥檚 plan to become carbon neutral by 2050, a target the city set itself even before the federal government adopted it in 2019. Since last year, Berlin's state government has been subsidising private individuals, companies and non-profit associations with up to 15,300 euros for the installation of solar power batteries, according to Tagesspiegel. More than 730 applications with a volume of around two million euros had been submitted by the end of January this year and just under 500 applications were approved, Tagesspiegel writes.
