Half of the German population lives in rented accommodation. Austria, Denmark and France are just below this. This means it is not easy for a significant portion of the population to switch to clean solutions. In addition, according to the UN, cities consume 78 percent of the world's energy and produce more than 60 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. This highlights the need for property developers, real estate companies and cities to take responsibility for sustainable solutions like energy efficiency, clean energy and e-mobility. Consumers can also take advantage of innovative solutions like vertical solar to empower themselves and lower their energy bills.
According to Selina Groß, Consultant and Coach at HXI Consulting, “the leeway to come up with new business models will be quite significantly influenced by regulatory backgrounds if the laws are even better in the future and the strictness of technical standards.” She also adds that for e--mobility, destination charging is key. “The question is how you charge your EV conveniently & economically when you don’t have a garage or your own home. One way is a more consistent rollout of destination charging - at places where people spend their time, at workplaces, at the supermarket,” says Selina.
Ernesto Garnier, Founder of Einhundert Energie, agrees that the government should lead the way. He says, “it has to happen with legal pressure, it has to become more of a compliance issue. In many states in Germany we have mandatory solar for new buildings and retrofits. So that will be the only way we can get to that potential.”
He also points out that companies must adopt new technologies: “These are the step changes: metering in real time, transparency and optimization, then you get to solar PV, and then the connection of solar PV, heating, and e-mobility. This is in my opinion the playbook and the toolset that any project developer and real estate company has to develop.”
Karolina Attspodina is Founder of We Do Solar, a company that just recently launched their innovative vertical solar products for balconies. She believes governments are, to an extent, blocking innovation: “I do wish the government did work with innovative companies to make sure that we can implement these solutions rather than slow them down. This is one of these moments when we need goernmentaa help to make sure we can accommodate not only the people looking for cleaner solutions or green energy but also the businesses.”
She adds that we also need a mindset shift. Karolina says, “the very old school mindset is you have to have everything of your own – a car, an apartment – this is the feeling that you’re secured. It’s not really the feeling anymore and it’s about the mindset change.”
