Solar brake planned: EEG and the federal cabinet

Published on: September 23, 2020 / Update from: September 25, 2020 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

The EEG draft (Renewable Energy Act) puts solar roofs in the shade. The solar industry appeals to members of the Bundestag and the state governments to prevent a solar rollback and to turn the current cabinet draft into a solar acceleration law.

The Federal Chancellery of the Federal Republic of Germany – Image: Cineberg|Shutterstock.com

In the opinion of the Federal Solar Industry Association, the draft of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) passed today by the Federal Cabinet will be. V. (BSW) lead to a significant decline in the expansion of photovoltaics on buildings. At the same time, the continued operation of thousands of old solar power systems is not guaranteed, solar producers are systematically discriminated against and a huge opportunity for the urgently needed expansion of storage systems remains unused.

The Federal Cabinet usually meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in the Federal Chancellery. According to Article 62 of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, it consists of the Federal Chancellor and the Federal Ministers.

Unfortunately, the Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWi) made hardly any concessions during the interdepartmental coordination. “Now the members of the Bundestag are called upon to prevent a solar rollback and to turn the current cabinet draft into a solar acceleration law,” explained Carsten Körnig, BSW managing director, in an initial reaction to the cabinet decision that has just been made.

In the opinion of the solar and battery storage industry represented by the BSW, improvements to the EEG cabinet draft are urgently needed in three areas:

• Participation in auctions and refraining from generating your own electricity should not become a prerequisite for receiving market premiums for new photovoltaic (PV) solar roofs. The Federal Environment Ministry had called for a change in the funding system sought by the BMWi, but was only able to moderate Altmaier's plans. Instead of gradually lowering the de minimis limit for participation in auctions to 100 kilowatt peak (kWp), according to today's cabinet decision, this should be reduced from the current 750 kWp to 500 kWp. Around 30 percent of the current solar roof market is still threatened with the obligation to participate in tenders. The simultaneous agreement to increase the auction volumes for PV roofs is worthless, as the additional auction volumes are deducted from the eligible solar power output of small solar roofs. It is also questionable whether the advertised services for PV roofs will even be achieved. In France, solar roof auctions have regularly resulted in underwriting and high risk premiums in recent years.

• The BSW also sees a significant need for improvement in the draft law for solar power systems that fall out of EEG funding after 20 years of operation (Ü20). Here, the biggest hurdle to the continued operation of several hundred thousand over-20 solar power systems was failed to be removed. Solar power used by operators themselves - e.g. B. for charging an electric car or operating a heat pump - will in future be charged 40 percent of the EEG levy (around 3 cents per kilowatt hour). This also makes retrofitting solar power storage systems generally unprofitable.

• The solar industry also urgently warns against the introduction of further requirements for measurement and regulation, as the draft law stipulates unchanged for even the smallest amounts of solar power. The BSW expects a negative impact on photovoltaic demand if solar power systems with an output of 1 kilowatt peak or more have to install smart meters in the future. “It is incomprehensible why even a handful of solar modules on homes should be equipped with expensive measuring systems in the future. This neither increases network stability nor system efficiency and is completely disproportionate,” said Körnig. The BSW is calling on the federal government to use standard load profiles for prosumers instead and to continue to use the proven option for reducing active power for larger solar power systems. This successfully avoids generation peaks and makes solar power production sufficiently predictable for network operators and energy suppliers. Prosumer refers to consumers who are also producers.

A current BSW industry survey also gave the amendment to the EEG law poor marks. 97 percent of the over 1,000 participating entrepreneurs expect a decline in the market for photovoltaic solar roofs. The draft law from the Federal Ministry of Economics is slowing down instead of inspiring and urgently needs to be improved.

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