Why has solar power been so successful in a not very sun-blessed industrial country like Germany? John Farrell shares the main secret of the success of the German Energiewende: Democratization of power generation. Suddenly everyone knows about Germany’s solar power dominance because Fox Newsheads made an ass of themselves, suggesting that the country is a sunny, tropical paradise.  Most media folks have figured out that there are some monster differences in policy (e.g. a feed-in tariff), but then latch on to the “Germans pay a lot extra” meme.  Germans do, and are perfectly happy with it, but that’s still not the story.The real reason Germany dominates in solar (and wind) is their commitment to democratizing energy. Half of their renewable power is owned by ordinary Germans, because that wonky sounding feed-in tariff (often known as a CLEAN Contract Program in America) makes it ridiculously simple and safe for someone to park their money in generating solar electricity on their roof instead of making pennies in interest at the bank. It also makes their “energy change” … Continue reading Germany Has More Solar Power Because Everyone Wins