You can only sign a petition for less bureaucracy for a very short time

Installing a balcony power plant like this still involves a lot of bureaucracy and requirements (Image: Anker)

Climate change and constantly rising energy prices are forcing us to look for alternative energy sources. On the one hand to protect our environment and on the other hand to save costs.

A particularly innovative and promising solution is balcony power plants – small but effective solar systems that can be installed on any balcony. They enable everyone to produce their own electricity from renewable sources and thus actively contribute to the energy transition.

But despite the many advantages that balcony power plants offer, there are still some bureaucratic hurdles that make installation difficult. A Youtuber has made it his mission to eliminate them and started a petition that can be signed until tomorrow.

Less bureaucracy should make registration and installation easier

Andreas Schmitz is a scientist in the field of mathematical optimization and AI, with a successful YouTube channel with over 250,000 subscribers. He engages in a pragmatic way with renewable energy, private solar systems, battery technology and sustainability.

In the following video, Schmitz talks to Holger Laudeley, the inventor of the balcony power plant, about the petition and other topics related to the energy transition:

Link to YouTube content

Together with the association Balkonsolar, the EWS Schönau and the Roßdorfer Energie-Gemeinschaft e. V. (REG.eV) he started a petition that will last until 27. April 2023so tomorrow, can be signed.

The aim of the petition is to simplify the operation of private solar systems with an output of up to 800 watts.

Certain conditions are currently required, such as registration in the market master data register, registration with the network operator and tenants, as well as the consent of the landlord or the community of owners.

The initiators of the petition want to change laws and regulations to enable more people in Germany to install and operate such systems.

Implementation is not yet guaranteed

The petition has now reached over 90,000 signers and the required 50,000 signature limit. The public hearing is scheduled for May 8, 2023 at the Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus in Berlin.

The creation of the petition was easy, but the examination by the responsible department of the Bundestag was a challenge. This was understaffed and wanted to partly change the demands of the petition and even merge it with another petition that had expired.

Only thanks to the support of the association “Klimaschutz im Bundestag e. V. and members of parliament from various parliamentary groups, the petition was approved unchanged.

The right of petition is enshrined in Article 17 of the Basic Law and defines clear rules on how submitted petitions must be dealt with. If the concern has been presented to the Petitions Committee, the committee can pass the demands on to the responsible departments and recommend their implementation. However, there is no guarantee that it will be implemented.

The organizers of the petition have already received confirmation from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection that they will examine the proposals thoroughly. The organizers would like to push the topic further and also push further projects in the field of renewable energies.

Incidentally, our colleague Dennis Ziesecke built his own balcony power plant. You can read about how he went about it and what it brought him here:

Do you use a balcony power plant yourself or have the conditions or the purchase price put you off so far? If you are interested in generating part of your electricity yourself in the future, then take the opportunity and sign this petition. Share with us in the comments why you want to install one or why you prefer to keep your hands off it.