Mar 23, 2012

More Than Half of Germany’s Renewable Energy Owned by Citizens or Farms.

Slightly over half of renewable energy in Germany is now owned not by corporations but by actual biological people -- a democratic shift in control of resources and a break from the way electricity and energy has been produced over the past century. Of all renewable energy in Germany 51% is now owned by individual citizens or farms, totaling $100 billion worth of private investment in clean energy. Breaking that down into solar power and wind power, 50% of Germany's solar PV is owned by individuals and farms, while 54% of its wind power is held by the same groups. In total there's roughly 17 GW of solar PV installed in Germany—versus roughly 3.6 GW in the US (based on SEIA's figures for new installations though the third quarter of 2011 plus the 2.6 GW installed going into the year). Germany now produces slightly over 20% of all its electricity from renewable sources. -Treehugger

Link from David Schaller Sustainable Practices