The German village Schönau forced the grid operator to sell its local grid to them decades ago. Now, that village has become a renewable energy leader. As you can see in the video below, it’s a major producer of renewable energy. One of the pioneers there also has a wicked little electric vehicle that’s a must see.
The video also features the village of Feldheim, reportedly the first of many German villages that have gone 100% renewable for their electricity. The village, unlike many, however, is completely independent from the national grid.
Before watching the video though, Renewable International’s Craig Morris makes some important comments on translation and feed-in tariffs:
The video is not, however, without its problems. For instance, the German word “Förderung” is repeatedly translated as “subsidy,” which properly translates into German as “Subvention,” not Förderung, which more properly means support or simply funding. The Germans avoid calling feed-in tariffs “subsidies” for good reason – they are not subsidies. Rather, feed-in tariffs specify a minimum price that utilities must pay producers of green power. Similar government-mandated pricing exists in many countries for a wide range of products and services – from books to medicine.
Furthermore, one homeowner is quoted as saying that his return on his solar roof is 2-3 percent, which is particularly low for Germany, where the ROI is closer to 5-7 percent.
Nonetheless, the video is highly recommended and very well done
OK, and here, at last, is the video:
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