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Environment Minister: Solar roof is also mandatory for new residential buildings

2021-10-18T11:17:00.294Z


How much green electricity expansion is feasible? And how do you finance the necessary investments? These are central questions of the coalition talks in the federal government. In Lower Saxony, the environment minister calls for solar regulations for private builders and promises: without overloading consumers.


How much green electricity expansion is feasible?

And how do you finance the necessary investments?

These are central questions of the coalition talks in the federal government.

In Lower Saxony, the environment minister calls for solar regulations for private builders and promises: without overloading consumers.

Hanover - Lower Saxony's Environment Minister Olaf Lies wants to extend the solar roof requirement for new commercial properties to newly built private houses.

However, there are concerns from the economy and from the coalition partner CDU about the plans of the SPD politician before the state parliament deliberates in the coming weeks.

“Due to the challenges, we must also discuss mandatory photovoltaics on residential buildings and, out of my conviction, also introduce an obligation,” said Lies of the “Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung” (HAZ / Monday).

The Christian Democrats and the housing industry in the country, however, warned against too high costs for families, for example.

Lies, who is also responsible for construction and energy, calls for a significant expansion of electricity generation from renewable sources. Otherwise, after the sluggish development in wind and solar power in recent times, the climate targets will not be achievable. In the spring, the cabinet in Hanover had, among other things, already prepared regulations for mandatory solar power production on large commercial roofs and for more wind power areas, including in forest areas.

According to a first draft law, companies in new buildings with predominantly commercial use of more than 75 square meters of roof area should equip at least half of them with photovoltaic systems. The state building regulations are to be changed accordingly. When planning new residential buildings, builders would also have to ensure that solar systems on the roof can at least be retrofitted, it said.

"We need every square meter," argued Lies now. In his estimation, photovoltaic capacities of 50 gigawatts on buildings and 65 gigawatts in total are necessary - corresponding to 50 million square meters of roof area. Builders shouldn't be overwhelmed, he made clear. In addition to their own investments, a model is conceivable in which owners make their roofs available for third-party investments. In addition, further incentives are needed. "With a view to the new federal government, this means that we have to go back to the framework conditions here."

The aim is to cover Lower Saxony's entire energy demand from renewable sources such as wind, sun, biomass, water and geothermal energy by 2040.

Lies pointed out that private photovoltaics can be particularly worthwhile if homeowners also use solar power for heat pumps and heating energy or use it to “fill up” an electric car.

His ministry currently estimates the proportion of a corresponding photovoltaic system in the total construction costs for a small to medium-sized residential house at not much more than two percent.

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The deputy chief and environmental policy spokesman for the CDU parliamentary group, Martin Bäumer, told the “HAZ”: “With the current amendment to the law, we are already demanding that all roof surfaces must be designed so that photovoltaic systems can be retrofitted there.” At the same time, he emphasized : “However, young families in particular are now confronted with sharply increased building costs.” The prices and delivery problems for a number of building materials have recently increased significantly - as part of the already high overall inflation.

The association of the housing and real estate industry in Lower Saxony and Bremen also reacted rather cautiously to Lies' suggestions.

"In order to implement climate protection in a socially responsible manner, we also have to keep an eye on the construction costs," explained its boss, Susanne Schmitt.

It depends on whether and how you subsidize systems.

“Anyone who further increases the requirements for new residential buildings by requiring solar energy must not shirk their responsibility when it comes to financing,” says Schmitt.

"Public funding from the federal government or the state is essential, otherwise the tenants will pay for it in the end." In addition, the bureaucratic effort is often too great.

dpa

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-10-18

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