EnergyBridgette Meinhold
Historic German Town Laying Down the Solar Law
by Bridgette Meinhold, 06/25/08
filed under: Announcements, Renewable Energy, Solar Power
Despite the typical cloudy weather, Germany has become a solar energy powerhouse fueled in part by government measures to reduce greenhouse gases and bring more renewable energy into the grid. Voluntary solar arrays are common throughout the country on barns, residences and in large solar plants, but a new law proposed in Marburg, Germany, is making solar a legal requirement on private and commercial buildings.
This small German college town of Marburg in central Germany has over 100 pubs, has more stairs in its alleys than in its houses, and is where the Brothers Grimm collected many of their fairy tales. It is truly a city of inspiration and historic significance. On June 20th, the town made 21st century history by becoming the first city in Germany to require solar power for newly built or renovated buildings. While all the reports say it is the first city in Germany, I can’t find any information that doesn’t disprove it may be the first city in the world to require solar power.
The law will officially come into effect October 1, 2008, after the city has worked out more of the details. The Mayor of Marburg, Fritz Kahle, says of the decision, “We don’t want to save the world and we don’t claim that Marburg will revolutionize climate action, but we must chart new territory in order to ensure a future supply of energy independent of oil and gas.”
This law will require newly constructed buildings or existing buildings that are expanded or altered by more than 20% to include solar panels as part of the heating system. The main goal of this law is to encourage the use of solar thermal systems to displace the use of non-renewable energy sources for heating. Photovoltaic systems also meet the requirement. Each building is required to install at least 1 square meter per 20 square meters of roof surface (that’s 5% of the roof surface).
Read more: Historic German Town Laying Down the Solar Law | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World
After a very early arrival on Saturday morning 1:45am 20 March 2004, our guests from Hessen, Germany settled in last weekend with their host families. This year it is also a privilege to welcome Herr Erhard Zammert, who is the Principal of Gesamtschule Kaufungen. The annual exchange is a joint program with Heathmont Secondary College.Our German Exchange Students were farewelled with a morning tea on Thursday, 1 April 2004. The German students were presented with mementoes of Vermont Secondary College. The Principal of Gesamtschule Kaufungen, Herr Zammert, spoke glowingly of the valued relationship between our schools and thanked Vermont hosts and staff for the outstanding success of this year’s visit. Thank you most sincerely to our wonderful LOTE teachers for their hard work in planning and organising the exchange, in particular Ms Smith, Mr Ruff, Mrs Douglas and Mrs Bate.
Our Year 10 German students were off to Germany on Friday, 10 September 2004 as they undertake a return visit to Hessen to spend time with their German host families and visit Gesamtschule Kaufungen – our exchange school.
The German Exchange program is now in its 9th year and has been highly successful in forging links between schools and developing friendships between our students, their families and our hosts and their families. The Vermont expedition will be led by Mrs Alison Bate and Ms Kathy Smith. This exchange is conducted in partnership with Heathmont College.
