Sean White‘s Solar and Energy Storage Podcast Hans-Josef Fell Started the Feed-In-Tariff: (The Most Important Person Alive)
Jul 4, 2025
01:21:46
Solar energy was the most expensive energy in the world 25 years ago and now it is the least expensive energy in the world. This is because Hans-Josef Fell invented a policy called the Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) that made it a good financial decision to invest in solar back when solar was very expensive. This caused mass production of solar technologies and the price of solar systems went down orders of magnitude. The first FIT program was in Hans-Josef’s hometown in Bavaria Germany and was capped at 15kW for the entire program (now that is how much solar that is over my head). The FIT price was 2 Marks (pre-Euro money) per kWh, which was about $1 US. With the FIT, there was a law requiring the utility to pay the solar system owner a price for the electricity for usually 20 years, so that people will have the incentive to purchase grid-tied solar. 1000 years from now, Hans-Josef will be recognized as saving the planet and as the most important person of our era.
Topics Covered:
Hans-Josef Fell’s Credentials:
Started the world’s first Feed-In-Tariff
Co-author of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act 2000 with Hermann Scheer
Member of the German Parliament representing the 15 years (Green Party)
President of Energy Watch Group
Author of Global Cooling
Past Vice President of Eurosolar
City Counselor
School Teacher
Awards:
Global Leadership Award in Advancing Solar Energy Policy – In Honor of Hermann Scheer, January 2019
LUI Che Woo Prize – Prize for World Civilization, Recognizing lifetime achievements for sustainable global development, January 2018
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, January 2015
Bavarian Order of Merit, January 2012
Bonda Award – European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA), January 2006
Nuclear-Free Future Award, January 2001
Energy Globe Award, January 2000
Solar Award – European Solar Energy Association (EUROSOLAR), January 1994
I met Hans-Josef Fell at the Intersolar Germany conference in May (also known as The Smarter E) thanks to Tomasz Slusarz, who invited me to a Cleantech Business Club dinner near the Hofbräuhaus München, (where I drank beer as a teenager). I was fortunate to sit next to Hans-Josef and have non-alcoholic beer with him! #TogetherWeAreStronger
Contact info:
Website: www.hans-josef-fell.de
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hansjoseffell
Global Cooling book: https://a.co/d/6JlAOw5
Topics Covered:
Hans-Josef Fell’s Credentials:
Started the world’s first Feed-In-Tariff
Co-author of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act 2000 with Hermann Scheer
Member of the German Parliament representing the 15 years (Green Party)
President of Energy Watch Group
Author of Global Cooling
Past Vice President of Eurosolar
City Counselor
School Teacher
Awards:
Global Leadership Award in Advancing Solar Energy Policy – In Honor of Hermann Scheer, January 2019
LUI Che Woo Prize – Prize for World Civilization, Recognizing lifetime achievements for sustainable global development, January 2018
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, January 2015
Bavarian Order of Merit, January 2012
Bonda Award – European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA), January 2006
Nuclear-Free Future Award, January 2001
Energy Globe Award, January 2000
Solar Award – European Solar Energy Association (EUROSOLAR), January 1994
I met Hans-Josef Fell at the Intersolar Germany conference in May (also known as The Smarter E) thanks to Tomasz Slusarz, who invited me to a Cleantech Business Club dinner near the Hofbräuhaus München, (where I drank beer as a teenager). I was fortunate to sit next to Hans-Josef and have non-alcoholic beer with him! #TogetherWeAreStronger
Contact info:
Website: www.hans-josef-fell.de
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hansjoseffell
Global Cooling book: https://a.co/d/6JlAOw5