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Mandatory Solar

by gmoke Sat Jan 7th, 2023 at 03:09:41 AM EST

Germany

http://renewablesnow.com/news/overview-rooftop-solar-to-become-mandatory-in-several-german-states-in -2023-809103/

"The installation of solar panels on the roofs of buildings is already mandatory in Baden-Wuerttemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia, while Berlin, Hamburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein, and Lower Saxony have adopted laws introducing the obligation as of January 1, 2023."

France
http://www.pv-magazine.com/2022/12/12/france-introduces-requirement-for-pv-in-parking-lots/

"The French parliament has approved a new measure to make it mandatory for parking lots to include solar if their surface area is more than 1,500 square meters."

Tokyo, Japan
http://e360.yale.edu/digest/tokyo-rooftop-solar

"Tokyo is mandating that all new homes in the city be built with rooftop solar panels starting in 2025."

"Three in four houseowners in Germany wish to put a solar PV array on their roofs, according to a survey commissioned by the country's solar industry lobby group BSW Solar. One in five houseowners aims to install solar PV arrays within the next twelve months, the survey by pollster YouGov also revealed, making the solar industry confident that a 'persistent solar power boom' lies ahead for Germany. Two thirds gave rising energy prices as a their main motivation, while 40 said they were driven by climate action. About 80 percent of the over 1,000 houseowners surveyed said they could imagine simultaneously installing a power storage unit to maximise the effectiveness of their roof-mounted solar power installations."
http://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/three-quarters-german-houseowners-ready-put-solar-installation-t heir-roofs-survey

I doubt if the survey asked anyone whether they were going solar to parry the energy weapon Putin, for one, is now using but it does.


Poll
More mandatory solar?
. yes 100%
. no 0%
. not yes 0%
. not no 0%
. neither yes nor no 0%
. both yes and no 0%
. don't understand the question? 0%
. none of the above 0%

Votes: 2
Results | Other Polls
Display:
Not all houses have south facing roofs at an appropriate angle for their latitude, but new houses can be designed to have them. Also, Tesla have designed solar roof tiles which means you don't have to have solar panels installed on top of your roof. Also in hotter climes, I wonder whether windows can be designed to convert part of the solar energy into electricity rather than over heating the house/office which then requires expensive aircon.

Index of Frank's Diaries
by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Sun Jan 8th, 2023 at 11:15:56 PM EST
In hotter climates, you would probably want shading on your windows rather than sunlight though there are beginning to be products which integrate solar electricity into transparent or translucent substrates.

My understanding is that mandatory solar is mandatory only where it works, with proper orientation and angle, although I can most definitely be wrong, given the proclivities of bureaucracies.

As for any Tesla product, I'm not 100% confident they will work as advertised for as long as they are warranteed.  Musk often makes promises that he doesn't keep, it seems.

Solar IS Civil Defense

by gmoke on Mon Jan 9th, 2023 at 07:33:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
France is -- at last! starting its way-overdue catch-up in renewables. It is at least a decade behind most of its European neighbours.

Terrestrial wind has been sabotaged by a very effective astroturfing operation, which has created a sort of national psychosis that windmills are ugly, dangerous, unecological and, um, unnecessary.
Offshore wind, which has barely started, has been targeted in a similar way, but it seems that the government has finally decided to go for it seriously.

Solar has been similarly mishandled. Fun fact : historically, (and I haven't seen any indication that this has changed), local government has been FORBIDDEN from installing solar on publicly owned properties (municipal offices, schools, whatever) because that would require them to borrow money and that would affect France's macroeconomic indicators! Never mind that it's a solid money earner that would enable reducing local taxes while generating enormous amounts of electricity...

The current government, like ALL its predecessors, has, until the past few months, signaled its virtue on renewable energy while doing nothing to enable its widespread adoption. Now all us whining greenies are seeing the stuff we have been proposing for decades becoming official policy overnight... it would piss me off if it wasn't such a relief.

This came about primarily because of the fact that a bunch of maintenance issues affected the nuclear base load, just when the price/availability of gas posed a problem. France's proud energy independence was suddenly very shaky, and the magic market did not provide palatable alternatives.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

by eurogreen on Wed Jan 11th, 2023 at 06:18:58 AM EST
Better late than never, and hopefully there will be a serious and integrated national response to enable France to catch up.

Index of Frank's Diaries
by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Wed Jan 11th, 2023 at 01:01:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"local government has been FORBIDDEN from installing solar on publicly owned properties"

We have cooperatives here who build solar on other people's roofs, often publicly owned properties. The owner of the roof gets a fee for the use of it, the cooperative funds and markets the power production. Shouldn't that be possible in France too? The cooperative I own shares in is small (like most), operates regionally (again, like most) and funds its projects entirely by selling shares.

by Katrin on Wed Jan 11th, 2023 at 07:54:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I wish. I bet it's forbidden too, otherwise my electricity supplier (enercoop.fr) would be all over it.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Thu Jan 12th, 2023 at 09:42:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]
In Sweden right now, installation costs and waiting times for new solar panels is way up due to spike in demand. So I doubt right now is the right time to start it. But otherwise, yeah, installing solar where it makes sense when the building is built sounds like good building standards.
by fjallstrom on Thu Jan 12th, 2023 at 01:26:28 PM EST
My understanding is that EU building standards are phasing in net zero or near net zero as the new building standards, as is the state of California, from now until 2030 when all new buildings and renovations will have to meet that standard, producing as much energy as is used.  Not sure if that means all the energy has to be produced onsite or whether offsite arrangements (solar farms and coops and such) can be included.

I collect links to developments in net zero energy building at https:/zeronetenrg.blogspot.com and as a listserv if anyone is interested.  Years of links available at the website.


Solar IS Civil Defense

by gmoke on Thu Jan 12th, 2023 at 07:53:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

CREDIT: "Quantifying the cost savings of global solar photovoltaic supply chains" (2022); cf. EIA, "Special Report on Solar PV Global Supply Chains" (2021): "Costs in China are 10% lower than in India, 20% lower than in the United States, and 35% lower than in Europe."

AP | Korean firm plans $2.5B in new solar panel plants in Georgia [USA], 13 Jan

Qcells, a unit of Hanwha Solutions, projects it will supply about 30% of total U.S. solar panel demand by 2027, including making solar panel components usually manufactured outside the United States.
[....]
A new $2.31 billion plant in Cartersville, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta, will hire 2,000 workers and fulfill one of the aims of the climate change and health care law [a/k/a Inflation Reduction Act] that Biden signed in August.

The law included provisions from Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both Democrats, allowing companies to claim [federal income] tax credits for making solar panel parts. ...


Philippe Ksiazek/AFP, Getty Image catalogue
Politico.eu.com | Revealed: France's massive 'Made in Europe' strategy
[...]
In a letter dated January 9, the French government calls on the EU to accelerate production targets, weaken state aid rules, establish an emergency sovereignty fund [!] and mobilize trade defense instruments -- all in reaction to a recent U.S. bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, which included $369 billion in climate-friendly subsidies.
[...]
"Very concretely, the Union should set itself production targets to be achieved by 2030," based on the [US federal] model of the bloc's draft Chips Act, the letter says.
[S.W.O.T.] ....Europe has many strengths and some weaknesses in the semiconductor value chain [P > R - C]....Despite these strengths, Europe has an over all global semiconductors production market share of less than 10% and is heavily dependent on third-country suppliers. In case of severe disruption of the global supply chain, Europe's chips' reserves in some industrial sectors (e.g. automotive or healthcare devices) could run out in a few weeks, bringing many European industries to a standstill....[fail]
The Chips Act is part of the EU's broader effort to ensure Europe doesn't have to rely on countries like China for the < wipes tears > technology that powers modern technology. The bloc is also rapidly reconsidering how it sources its energy [read: fuel, eg. solar radiation, jet stream wind "rivers"]  in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine.
[...]
"These mechanisms could take the form of tax advantages (tax credits LOL!) or direct subsidies targeted at the strategic sectors," the letter states.

Those sectors -- the French say -- could include photovoltaics, batteries, hydrogen, and [mining] critical materials. The letter also suggests only ending the relaxation of these state aid rules in 2030. They are currently due to expire at the end of this year.

It adds that certain small and medium enterprises [SMEs] should be exempted from state aid limits, particularly if they are involved as ["]partners["] in the EU's [worldwide] Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) program. And it argues that aid notification thresholds for environmental or decarbonization project [finance] should be increased to €20 million per company and per project. The Commission's antitrust enforcers are due to circulate their latest draft of the bloc's emergency state aid rules to EU nations on Friday [13 Jan].
[...]

< wipse tear >
In order to preserve the fairness of competition rules internationally, France's letter concludes by saying that "the EU's trade strategy should be more articulated around the defense of the European single market." To this end the Commission should make use of trade defense instruments as outlined in World Trade Organization [WTO] rules, the letter notes.
Taiwan's chips plan for Europe exposes Germany's precarious position on Asia, 13 Jan
Taiwan produces 90 percent of the world's most advanced microchips, according to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. TSMC has been increasing its manufacturing capacity outside Taiwan -- with committed investments in Japan and the U.S. state of Arizona [!]. During the call, Wei mentioned the company is also "considering" a second plant in Japan.
[...]
Up until now, only [US-HQ] Intel has committed to a European move, pledging to build a €17 billion plant in Magdeburg, Germany.
[...]
Koreagate, forthcoming
What can Germany give in return?

It's no secret that Taiwan is not going to lend Europe a hand in building out its chip production capacity for only state aid [read: tax credits]. ... German lawmakers, on the other hand, have been vowing nonmilitary, moral support.

"There's no question to send weapons to Taiwan. That is not the question," Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the Bundestag's defense committee, said while on a trip to Taipei, adding that the message from politicians and people in Taiwan "is not 'please Germany, send us weapons.'"  

"The situation here is a different one. Our role is less military ... It's an economic question," Strack-Zimmermann said.
[...]

Hankyoreh | Growing number of Korean firms leaving China to reshore, 6 Jan
... Since the reshoring support system was introduced in 2014, 126 companies in total have relocated to South Korea, and 77% of those companies (97 in number) were companies that had factories in China. The numbers are followed by 15 in Viet Nam, four in the US, and two in Indonesia....

by Cat on Fri Jan 13th, 2023 at 08:06:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Some thoughts

Will the EU finally realize they have been deceived by both Trump and Biden ... it is about competition and not a "friendly" alliance.

The US needed to block the economic development of both Europe and China.

Strategic sovereignty: How Europe can regain the capacity to act | ECFR - June 25, 2019 |

Then the global pandemic hit and in addition Joe Biden refused to meet with Putin to find an agreement on Ukraine to prevent a devastating war. Energy crisis will hit hard on all essential economic sectors and sustainability to claw back CO2 emissions will be disrupted.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Jan 13th, 2023 at 08:50:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
from offshoring to friendshoring tax shelters, price fixing, and bid-rigging
by Cat on Fri Jan 13th, 2023 at 10:13:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
is Rule #1 of every imperial establishment, so history has illustrated.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sun Jan 15th, 2023 at 01:48:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The Hill | OpEd | , 15 Jan
A key lesson learned from the COVID pandemic is how important the ["]international supply chain["] is to national security....The National Security Supply Chain™ is far more than just a military matter -- it is expected to include keeping a country's economy and society healthy. As President Biden noted in his introduction to the [DOD]National Security Strategy released in October, "If parents cannot feed their children, nothing else matters."
[INCONTINENCE ALERT]
China has demonstrated that it is willing and able to use trade as a strategic WEAPONG, targeting supply chains [sic] to force countries to adhere to its geopolitical goals. Although foodstuffs are often [?] sanctioned, as bans can be blamed plausibly on the presence of pests [read: African Swine Fever (2018-2021)], other commodities are also used to punish countries, such as the export of construction sand to Taiwan in 2022, in response to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) visit to the country, or rare earth exports to Japan in 2010, following a maritime dispute in the East China Sea. Although Beijing denied a rare earths ban -- claiming it was just a general reduction on export quotas -- the impact on Japan and the global supply chain was very real.

THESE PUNITIVE ACTIONS OVER THE YEARS have persuaded some Western countries to reduce their dependence on China, a movement that gained momentum from the fallout of the COVID pandemic. The European Union's Critical Raw Material Act of 2022 followed several pieces of legislation in the United States, including the CHIPS and Science Act, aimed at countering dependency and building national resilience.

However, what governments often do not consider is the threat to national security supply chains from INDIRECT EXPOSURE to China. Recent research by The Evenstar Institute, a London-based think tank, shows how much influence China has over third-party countries that are vital for the West's supply chain.
[...]
[Captain Obvious] is CEO of The Evenstar Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in London, and co-host of the < wipes tears> "What China Wants" podcast.

reference
wikiwtf, Three-world model a/o 1 Jan 2023
"This article is about the Western political concept. For the Maoist political concept, see Three worlds [sic] theory."

UN | Declaration on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order, pp 1-3 précis (Arabic, EN, ES, FR, RU, Mandarin)

[...]
  1. The greatest and most significant achievement during the last decades has been the independence from colonial and alien domination of a large number of peoples and nations which has enabled them to become members of the community of free peoples. Technological progress has also been made in all spheres of economic activities in the last three decades, thus providing a solid potential for improving the well-being of all peoples. However, the remaining vestiges of alien and colonial domination, foreign occupation, racial discrimination, apartheid and neo-colonialism in all its forms continue to be among the greast obstacles to the full emancipation and progress of the developing countries and all the peoples involved.....
  2. The present international economic order is in direct conflict with curren development in international political and economic relations. Since 1970, the world economy has experienced a series of grave crises which have had severe repercussions, especially on the developing countries because of their generally greater vulnerability to external economic impulses....
  3. All these changes have thrust into prominence the reality of interdependence of all the members of the world community. Current events have brought into sharp focus the realization that the interests of the developed countries and those of the developing countries can no loger be isolated from each other, that there is a close interrelationship between the prosperity of the developed countires, and the propserity of the international community as a whole depends on the prosperity of its constituent parts. International co-operation for development is the shared goal and common duty of all countries.
  4. The new international economic order should be founded on full respect for the following principles: [(a) ...(t)]
  5. The unanimous adoption of the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade was an important step in the promotion of international economic co-operation on a just and equitable basis....
  6. The United Nations as a universal organization should be capale of dealing with problems of international economic co-operation in a comprehensive manner and ensuring equally the interests of all countries....
  7. The present Declaration on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order shall be one of the most important bases of economic relations between all peoples and all nations.

229th plenary meeting 1 May 1974 [!]
3202 (S-VI). Programme of Action on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order
The General Assembly Adopts the folowing Programme of Action:

CONTENTS
Introduction [p 5]
I. Fundamental problems of raw materials and primary commodities as related to trade and development
II. International monetary system and financing of the development of developing countries
III. Industrialization
IV. Transfer of technology
V. Regulation and control over the activities of transnational corporations
VI. Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States
VII. Promotion of co-operation among developing countries
VIII. Asistance in the exercis of permanent sovereignty of States over natural resources
IX. Strengthening the role of the United Nations system in the field of international economic co-operation
X. Special Programme [p 10]

(bold face emphasis added)

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sun Jan 15th, 2023 at 03:10:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]


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