Seen at Inhabitat:
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. […] 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).
It’s not the first time that it’s been considered. For example, a couple of years ago Delhi debated such a requirement.
What’s more surprising to me is why hasn’t this been done in more communities? Solar panel costs have dropped (and energy costs have increased) to the point where such installations make economic sense. Throw in the ecological benefits and (if you buy into the hype) the anti-global warming value, and such requirements seem like no-brainers to me.
