A good two months after the announcement, the state's own funding program for small "balcony power plants" is to begin. The hope of saving electricity costs should ensure that demand will be high. But there is also criticism of the state aid.
Schwerin (dpa/mv) - The funding program for "balcony power plants" announced by the state government in Schwerin in the summer is to begin next week. As the Ministry of the Environment announced on Friday, homeowners and tenants in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania can submit applications for funding from Tuesday. Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) wants to explain details of the application process in Schwerin on Monday. By using the sun as an alternative energy source, the consumption of fossil fuels is to be reduced and climate change counteracted.
The state subsidy program for photovoltaic systems on balconies is part of a package of measures that was decided at the state energy summit in Rostock in mid-August. Accordingly, the purchase of a PV system is subsidized with up to 500 euros per household. The state is providing 10 million euros for this. It is expected that the funding volume will be used up quickly. It's enough for about 20,000 projects.
The state subsidy is available for small solar systems that do not require approval with an output of up to 600 watts. Experts assume that such a "balcony power plant" can cover about 10 percent of the electricity needs of an average household. The annual savings are given as just under 100 euros, and even more with rising electricity costs.
However, there is already criticism of the funding program. The regional association for renewable energies referred to the comparatively unfavorable cost-benefit ratio. A modern wind turbine with 5.5 megawatts produces far more electricity than all 20,000 balcony modules together and costs about half the funding, it said. The taxpayers' association included the support program in its "black book" for wasted taxpayers' money. The Association of North German Housing Companies also expressed skepticism and referred to the financial risks for tenants in the event of damage.
