In recent years, many federal states in Germany have issued guidelines that make it easier to install solar systems on listed buildings.
One example is the Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine-Westphalia, which ruled that the public interest in expanding renewable energy generally takes precedence. This means that granting permission for solar systems on listed buildings is now becoming the norm. However, there are exceptions where solar systems would significantly impair the appearance or fabric of the listed building.
Some towns and cities have local design regulations that must be taken into account during planning.
One example is the town of Rinteln. There, we installed a photovoltaic system on the Burghoffklinik building on Blumenwall to generate electricity for
on-site consumption and the heat pump, and had to comply with the design requirements.
Design Regulations for Rinteln Old Town
Church authorities have also become receptive to installing photovoltaic systems on their churches.
Sunpower GmbH from Aerzen installed a 25kWp photovoltaic system with 14kWh of battery storage on the Evangelical Lutheran church in Krückeberg, Hessisch Oldendorf.
The roof design was agreed with and approved by the heritage protection authority of the Hameln-Pyrmont district and the Office for Building and Cultural Heritage Conservation of the Regional Church of Hannover.
A system was chosen that can use a dynamic electricity tariff, allowing it to draw on low-cost electricity from the wholesale market alongside solar-generated electricity, with the aim of supplying the church as fully as possible with affordable renewable energy. The system also has a backup power function that can continue to supply the church with electricity during a power cut.