Q:
I'm currently traveling in Germany and am amazed at how much solar is in use here. Many of the installs look like they have been in use for well over 20 years. Lots of module mismatch in physical size. I have to wonder how well they perform. Some serious slope installs as well.
A:
If it wasn't For Hermann Scheer and the German solar feed-in-tariff, solar in the world would not be as mature as it is today.
http://www.hermannscheer.de/en/
Hermann was a German politician who promoted the policy of requiring the utility to pay 20 year contracts for a price that was a decent return of investment for the solar industry. It took off in 2001! Germany was soon the solar capital of the world. Former East Germany had "Solar Valley" where much of the world's solar was manufactured.
For quite some time, half of the installed solar in the world was installed in Germany. In about 2015 China overtook Germany for the most solar installed of any country in the world.
Enjoy your field trip. You get extra credit for this course!!
Ask a German about the "solar revolution" (that was Hermann's phrase).
Thanks,
Sean White
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