Solar panels on farm buildings in Wagenfeld, Lower Saxony, Germany.
The German government has been committed to reducing the country's greenhouse gases ever since 1999 when it put in place an environmental tax reform which increased the taxes on oil and gas. Further increases through to 2003 have yield tens of billions of Euros which have produced 100,000 new jobs in new energy-efficiency related industries such as wind and solar. The solar industry was given a massive boost when the Government started the "100,000" roofs program which from 1999 to 2003 produced 65,324 PV systems totalling 342 mwgawatts (MW) of capacity. The market was also stimulated when the Government offered interest-free 10-year loans and 20 contracts for people installing PV systems to supply the national grid. In 2004 the amended Renewable Energy Act eliminated the upper size limit of PV roof systems allowing people and businesses like farmers to fit larger systems to their barns and out buildings.
Size: 5586px × 3619px
Location: Wagenfeld, Lower Saxony, Germany.
Photo credit: © Clynt Garnham Renewable Energy / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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