Theamendment to the Renewable Energy Development Act adds Article 12-1, inreference to the Berlin Solar Law passed on June 17, 2021 in Berlin, Germany,which requires that, from 2023 onwards, new buildings and renovations ofexisting buildings in Berlin with a useable area of more than 50 square metersshould be equipped with a certain percentage of solar power generatingequipment. However, this amendment will likely give rise to the issues of conflictsbetween the development of renewable energy and property rights and the balancebetween the two. With a talk by a German scholar on this issue should behelpful to our judicial practices and academia in finding appropriate solutionsand legal interpretations in the face of such disputes.

Thissymposium is sponsored by the Energy Law Committee and the Environmental LawCommittee of the Taiwan Bar Association and the Himalaya Foundation (founded byalumni of National Taipei University). We especially invited Prof. ThomasSchomerus of Lüneburg University (who was invited by the Himalaya Foundation tovisit Taiwan from August 2 to 13 of 2023) to speak on “Rooftop Solar Energy andProperty Rights Issues - Lessons from the Experience of German Energy Law andPolicy” (Solarenergie auf dem Dach und Fragen des Eigentumsrechts - Lehren ausden Erfahrungen des deutschen Energierechts und der deutschen Energiepolitik).Prof. Thomas Schomerus is a renowned German public law scholar with a highacademic standing, specializing in environmental and energy law, and is currentlya member of the United Nations Compliance Committee for the Aarhus Convention.  

Thissymposium was held at the Taiwan Bar Association, with Grand Justice Chun-ShengChen as the chairman, Director Mei-Nu Yu as the introducer, and Prof. Shin-AnChen (Dept. of Law, National Chung-Hsing University), Assistant Prof. Dong-YingLee (Dept. of Law, Central Police University), and Chun-Kai Huang (Partner atFormosan Brothers Attorneys-at-Law) as the panelists. There were altogetherover one hundred participants in-person and online.

From a global perspective, Prof. Schomerusbrought the latest developments in the legislation of rooftop solar energy,covering a wide range of knowledge in a brilliant and easy-to-understand manner.Mr. Huang conducted his presentation in Chinese and German, and assisted Prof.Schomerus to respond to the questions raised by the audience by simultaneousinterpretation in both directions. The international exchanges were smooth, andthe interactions and discussions were enthusiastic.