To date, approximately 860,000 solar electricity and 1.5 million solar thermal systems have been installed throughout the country, but the renewable share of the nation’s energy remains around just 17 percent.
In the wake of the Japanese nuclear disaster several protests have urged Chancellor Angela Merkel to move away from nuclear power and dramatically increase the amount of renewables in Germany’s energy budget.
In accepting the patronage of Week in the Sun, Norbert Roettgen echoed the protestors’ demands.
“We want that this figure increased,” he said. “The solar energy is the energy system of the future play an important role. ‘The week of the Sun’ is a very good opportunity to make the great potential of solar thermal and photovoltaic known.”
Hundreds of stakeholders, including municipalities, craft and energy consultants nationwide are expected to take part in Week of the Sun events, which include lectures and trade shows at town halls or banks and a variety of projects at schools and universities.
The Federal Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) is assisting local solar events with professional information and nationwide publicity.
“We are delighted that we obtained from the Environment Minister tailwind from the government,” said Carsten Koernig, managing director of the BSW-Solar. “Especially after the disaster in Japan, the growing need for information to alternative energy forms.
“This solar thermal and solar power are important components of an electricity mix from renewable energy sources, can be fully compensated by the year 2020 the phasing out of nuclear energy,” Koernig continued. “On the many local events, visitors learn how solar energy works technically, what advantages it brings and how to use solar energy and even solar power. Since the first campaign of 2007 the ‘Week of the Sun’ has reached more than 12,000 events over 1.2 million people.”
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