Germans fight climate change on their balconies in solar panel boom
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.