The fourth meeting of the Solar Heroes was all about market transparency.

Robert reported to us in detail about the large tendering process of the Stuttgart Solar Offensive, which is intended to provide an overview of the prices and services of the installation companies. A total of three large tenders were carried out for the districts of Stuttgart-West/Botnang, Bad Cannstatt and Feuerbach, with inquiries being sent to 70 local, regional and national companies. Of these companies, 8 responded. We hope that other companies will also recognize the opportunity offered by such an initiative.

Discussions about PV broker platforms

The results of these tenders will be presented to interested property owners by the solar offensives so that they can choose their installation company on this basis. This marks the beginning of an independent platform for the mediation of interested parties and tradesmen, which is set up and maintained on a voluntary basis. In contrast to commercially oriented intermediaries/platforms or start-ups that are heavily discussed in the media, particular emphasis is placed on transparency and neutrality.

We took a few minutes to immerse ourselves in the online discussions about and between the major intermediaries: in addition to astonishment and head-shaking, we came to a clear conclusion: the whole thing certainly does not help to dispel uncertainties and misinformation about photovoltaics.

With regard to these discussions about broker platforms, Robert states: "In the end, the craftsmen have to work." And this is precisely where the Stuttgart Solar Offensive comes in with its work. "We ensure market hygiene and market transparency," he says confidently.

Solar scouts about to launch

There was positive news to report from the Solarscouts campaign. Robert announced that all future independent Solar Scouts have been successfully trained and will soon receive a certificate and ID card from the City of Stuttgart. The concept of the Solar Scouts arose from a joint exchange between the Office for Environmental Protection, the Stuttgart Energy Advice Center, the Baden-Württemberg Consumer Advice Center, the Stuttgart Municipal Utilities, the German Association for the Environment and Nature Conservation and the existing solar offensives in Stuttgart-Botnang and Stuttgart-West. The solar scouts receive support from the Office for Environmental Protection and the Stuttgart Energy Advice Center (EBZ). Depending on the size of the district, two to four scouts per district will be deployed for initial PV information.

The solar scouts are currently being formed and organized in the various city districts. In some districts they have already gone public and are active, in others not yet. The official public launch is due to take place in the next few weeks. At the same time, a full-time coordinator for the scouts is still being sought. We will keep you up to date.

Read more about our "Solar Heroes" campaign here:

Part 1 - The kickoff

Part 2 - New comrades-in-arms

Part 3 - Exploring the solar atlas and storage options

Part 4 - Preparing for an installer visit and storage system

Part 5 - Alternative solar modules and the solar scouts