Kretschmann hits granite with solar obligation for old buildings

Created: 09/10/2022, 08:10

Employees of a company install photovoltaic modules on the roof of a residential building.

© Marijan Murat/dpa/symbol image

Every house in the southwest is to become a small solar power plant.

The Greens are pushing for a solar obligation for older houses as well.

But the coalition partner is stirring resistance.

Stuttgart - Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann has met with his demand for a solar obligation for older buildings at the coalition partner CDU on granite.

Construction Minister Nicole Razavi (CDU) told the German Press Agency in Stuttgart that she was a big fan of photovoltaic systems in the building sector.

"But before we discuss the introduction of further obligations, we should remove the hurdles that stand in the way of the expansion of photovoltaics."

For example, the federal government must release the brakes on tenant electricity - this is about electricity that is generated on a residential building and consumed there directly.

"And we should set smart incentives," said the CDU politician.

"We have to make photovoltaic systems so attractive that the question of an obligation no longer arises." If such a system "is feasible and affordable and also pays off within a few years, then everyone will do it".

Almost two weeks ago, at the Green Party Congress, Kretschmann pushed for solar panels to be mandatory for older buildings as well.

He hopes that the green-black coalition will be ready next year to decide on the general obligation, said the green head of government.

He knows that this will not happen overnight - also because the energy and inflation crisis is putting a heavy financial burden on many households.

But by 2035 this is feasible and reasonable.

The environmental and energy politician of the CDU faction, Raimund Haser, also thinks Kretschmann's initiative is the wrong way.

Haser told the dpa: "We have now opened the climate protection law for the second time in two years.

I can't imagine that we'll do that again in 2023 under the same conditions.” Instead of thinking about new duties for citizens, it's better to stick to the duties of the state.

"Promote line construction, end the madness for approval, create storage options and not symbolically discuss obligations that should apply on the never-ending day - i.e. 2035."

In the most recent negotiations on the climate protection law, the solar obligation for older buildings was excluded under pressure from the CDU.

The following already applies: Anyone who wants to build a new house in the south-west has had to have a solar system installed on their roof since the beginning of May.

In addition, from 2023 homeowners will also have to have a photovoltaic system installed during a thorough roof renovation.

A solar obligation for older buildings is also not in the coalition agreement between the Greens and the CDU.

Haser referred to many bureaucratic problems with the systems.

First of all, these are complicated to register and put into operation.

Then there is a "billing hiccup between own use and external delivery".

The CDU energy expert criticized: “Instead of changing the system in such a way that the roofs fill up by themselves, the green Ministry of Economic Affairs in the federal government leaves everything as it is and relies on the obligation in this country.

That is not my idea of ​​sensible regulatory policy.”

The CDU politician also explained that photovoltaics is currently experiencing an “incredible boom.

In the coming years, the megawatt outputs will increase to such an extent that the grid will reach its limits anyway.” Haser also criticized Kretschmann's statement that solar systems on all suitable roofs in the southwest could replace the annual output of five nuclear power plants.

"The statement that 60 terawatt hours of photovoltaics correspond to 60 terawatt hours of nuclear power is wrong as long as storage over night and even more so over the winter is not possible on an industrial scale."

Haser gave the following example: "On Christmas Eve, when the lights are on, all German photovoltaic systems feed exactly 0 kilowatt hours of electricity into the grid, and the electricity-based heat pumps are then powered by coal and nuclear power." If you talk about technical details, then that's just what you want also to.

“Photovoltaics is a building block of the energy transition.

As is well known, you don’t build a house with a building block.” dpa