BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - The German Environmental Aid (DUH) hopes for a landmark ruling that should make it easier for tenants to install their own balcony power plants. It supports the lawsuit of a couple from Kiel, whose property management prohibited the installation of a balcony solar system, according to DUH, "with unobjective and exaggerated demands," as the organization announced in Berlin on Thursday.

The house management had demanded from him and his partner among other things an expert's assessment of the statics of the balcony, a fire protection expert's assessment and the examination of the entire house electricity, reported the plaintiff Matthias Weyland. This would make the project no longer profitable. With a similar catalog of requirements many tenants would be confronted in such cases, said DUH federal managing director Barbara Metz.

Lawyer Dirk Legler, who represents the plaintiffs before the Kiel district court, spoke of "flimsy reasons" and a "salami tactic." The plant has an output of 600 watts, he said. For comparison: The achievement of many vacuum cleaners moves in this range, the achievement of washing machines clearly over it. It makes no difference to the electrical system in the house whether electricity is generated or consumed, Legler said. As for the statics, he said the system weighs 20 kilograms. In addition, the landlord must ensure the technical safety. There could be a judgment possibly already at the beginning of next year.

The legal dispute will clarify which requirements can or cannot be imposed on tenants when installing a solar module, explained Metz.

The German government is currently working on a bill under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice that is intended to make it easier for tenants to install solar panels on their balconies. This does not go from DUH view however far enough. The problem is likely to affect many: "It is estimated that currently two-thirds of the applications submitted are approved and one-third rejected; concrete figures on this are not available," writes the Ministry of Justice in its draft bill./hrz/DP/stw