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Sorry, not buying it. The problem here for Germany is the Chinese manufacturing prowess, not their own government.

digitalengineer 13y ago
Dutchman here (Germany's neighbor). 'Green' forces in my country set new rules so the government actually pays a part of the costs if you buy and install solar panels on your roof. The very same government who puts up an import-fine for those very same panels thus making them more expensive. Now that a lot of people have bought and installed solar panels and have become net suppliers of power (giving it back to the grid) they're working on new rules to administrate those net-suppliers. They now run the risk of having to document everything like regular power-providing companies do. (Lots of red tape). Thanks government...
- toyg 13y ago
  Administering a power grid is no amateur job. I don't see why the government wouldn't want to put safeguards in place, in order to guarantee that lights will stay on. Obviously there's a balance to be found, but you can't just give everyone full access to the grid and expect things never to break.
  - digitalengineer 13y ago
    Everybody has a meter in their house, only with these solar panels it will run backwards. At the end of the year everybody receives a bill of what they used... There is no need for extra red tape.
    - steve19 13y ago
      That system us actually a (usually) government mandated subsidy. Think about it: when you pay for power you pay not just for generation but for distribution as well. When you feed it back and your meter runs backwards the power company should be paying you only for generation (at a wholesale rate, so they can turn a profit). In some countries they measure your power in both directions and give you a credit based how much you put back into the grid. This would be much lower than what you pay to buy power.
      - digitalengineer 13y ago
        > In some countries they measure your power in both directions and give you a credit based how much you put back into the grid That would be perfect. No need for extra administration and extra taxation.

Dutchman here (Germany's neighbor). 'Green' forces in my country set new rules so the government actually pays a part of the costs if you buy and install solar panels on your roof. The very same government who puts up an import-fine for those very same panels thus making them more expensive. Now that a lot of people have bought and installed solar panels and have become net suppliers of power (giving it back to the grid) they're working on new rules to administrate those net-suppliers. They now run the risk of having to document everything like regular power-providing companies do. (Lots of red tape). Thanks government...

toyg 13y ago
Administering a power grid is no amateur job. I don't see why the government wouldn't want to put safeguards in place, in order to guarantee that lights will stay on. Obviously there's a balance to be found, but you can't just give everyone full access to the grid and expect things never to break.
- digitalengineer 13y ago
  Everybody has a meter in their house, only with these solar panels it will run backwards. At the end of the year everybody receives a bill of what they used... There is no need for extra red tape.
  - steve19 13y ago
    That system us actually a (usually) government mandated subsidy. Think about it: when you pay for power you pay not just for generation but for distribution as well. When you feed it back and your meter runs backwards the power company should be paying you only for generation (at a wholesale rate, so they can turn a profit). In some countries they measure your power in both directions and give you a credit based how much you put back into the grid. This would be much lower than what you pay to buy power.
    - digitalengineer 13y ago
      > In some countries they measure your power in both directions and give you a credit based how much you put back into the grid That would be perfect. No need for extra administration and extra taxation.