Germans fight climate change on their balconies in solar panel boom

euronews (in English)

The price of electricity in Germany has shot up since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, leaving residents to source cheaper alternatives.

Transcript

00:00The sun on Katerina Muller's balcony isn't just helping grow her plants, it's providing

00:09homemade electricity with the help of solar panels.

00:14Just utilizing the sun, like the energy, and of course ultimately for me saving some money,

00:18but it's just the entire idea of I just have to put something up, use what's already there,

00:24and then I just benefit as well, it's just like, yeah, how can you say no to that?

00:28She's not alone.

00:29Germany is seeing a boom in balcony solar panels.

00:33There was an over 50 percent increase in the registration of such systems in the second

00:39quarter of this year compared to the strongest quarter last year.

00:43The boom came as people sought out cheaper energy sources amid the war in Ukraine, which

00:48pushed electricity costs up.

00:51The co-founder of a startup selling balcony solar panels says she wanted people in apartments

00:57to be able to use the renewable energy source.

01:00We have so many spaces where we can use solar panels.

01:05I just felt like it was really unfair that we cannot use solar panels, especially for

01:09people that are renters in the apartments.

01:13All this technology is available, why aren't we using it?

01:15This year the company is on track for a 350 percent increase in sales from 2023.

01:23They have also done well in France, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, but have sold the most

01:29in Germany.

01:31The country is seen as a leader of solar energy in the EU.

01:35But a solar energy association says the Netherlands produced the most solar capacity per capita

01:41in 2022 in the bloc, with Germany in second place.

01:46Advocates say they had to work hard to convince politicians to change rules in favor of solar

01:51energy use in households.

01:53A petition was launched last year, calling on the Bundestag to create legislation that

01:59would make it easier for people to install solar panels on their balconies.

02:04A group promoting solar use in households says it shows politicians that the public

02:09wants climate action.

02:12Once other stakeholders also see that there is a willingness to cooperate, to implement

02:20things, then also the politics has a lot more urge or needs to do something themselves.

02:29And you can't kind of talk yourself out of it and say, yo, the people don't want to and

02:36everything because I don't think that's the case.

02:39As for Catharina Müller, she and her roommate are expecting to save hundreds on their electricity

02:44bill this year.

02:46And I truly enjoy being on the terrace or the balcony and then just checking, oh, this

02:51is how much we've produced today.

02:52Honestly, I find great joy in this even.

02:54It makes me feel proud and very grateful for the sun as well.

02:58A law is set to come into effect that will stop landlords from blocking tenants from

03:03putting solar panels on balconies, with some exceptions.

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