WHAT THE U.S. CAN LEARN FROM GERMAN SOLAR SUCCESS

Germany Has More Solar Power Because Everyone Wins

John Farrell, February 8 and May 20, 2013 (Institute for Local Self-Reliance)

“…[Most have figured out it is not the Germany’s solar resource or policies make it a world solar industry force. There is also a] ‘Germans pay a lot extra’ meme. Germans do, and are perfectly happy with it, but…[the] real reason Germany dominates in solar (and wind) is their commitment to democratizing energy.

“Half of their renewable power is owned by ordinary Germans, because that wonky sounding feed-in tariff (often known as a CLEAN Contract Program in America) makes it ridiculously simple and safe for someone to park their money in generating solar electricity on their roof instead of making pennies in interest at the bank.”

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“It also makes their “energy change” movement politically bulletproof. Germans aren’t tree-hugging wackos…[T]hey are investing by the tens of thousand in a clean energy future that is putting money back in their pockets and creating well over 300,000 new jobs (at last count). Their policy makes solar cost half as much to install as it does in America, where the free market’s red tape…

“…In a country founded on the concept of self-reliance (goodbye, tea imports!), we finance clean energy with tax credits that make wind and solar reliant on Wall Street instead of Main Street. We largely preclude participation by the ordinary citizen unless they give up ownership of their renewable energy system to a leasing company. We make clean energy a complicated alternative to business as usual, while the cloudy, windless Germans make the energy system of the future by making it stupid easy and financially rewarding…[L]et’s learn the real secret to German energy engineering and start making democratic energy in America.”

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