Bundestag passes "Solar Peak Act": numerous changes for PV owners

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Operators of new solar installations will no longer receive feed-in tariffs if electricity prices are negative and smart meters will become pricier for users: these are two of the most important new features of the so-called Solar Peak Act, which was passed by the Bundestag on Friday. The governing SPD and Green parties had previously agreed with the CDU/CSU to pass the law together before the election.

One of the main aims of the comprehensive law is to smooth out temporary electricity surpluses, which have become more frequent recently, primarily due to the strong expansion of solar power plants. The surpluses can jeopardize grid stability, with some companies even warning of "regional blackouts".

In the future, operators of new PV systems will therefore no longer receive EEG remuneration for the electricity they feed into the grid at times of negative exchange electricity prices. Any remuneration lost as a result is to be compensated for by extending the approximately 20-year EEG reference period.

Association sees hardly any financial disadvantages for PV operators

"The financial disadvantage for operators of solar installations is therefore limited," commented the German Solar Industry Association. Those who use the electricity intelligently or store it could even generate an economic advantage. Those who already operate a PV system can voluntarily switch to the new regulation. An increase in the EEG feed-in tariff of 0.6 ct/kWh would serve as an incentive.

There are also far-reaching changes in the digitalization of electricity grids: in the future, all PV systems with an output of 7 kWp or more must be controllable by grid operators. Smart meters and control technology will be used for this. According to the law, the German government wants to ensure that renewable energies increasingly take on more functions for system security.

At the same time, smart meters will become pricier for connection users: for example, the maximum fees for owners of PV systems (2 kW to 15 kW) will increase by 30 euros per year. In addition, there will be costs for the installation and operation of a control device at the grid connection point amounting to EUR 50 per year.

Consumer advocates criticize higher smart meter prices

The so-called right to smart meters, which has only been in force since the beginning of January, will also be significantly restricted: Grid operators can defer installation requests from consumers more easily than before. On top of this, the price for smart meter installation at the customer's request will rise from a one-off €30 to €100. The annual costs will rise from 20 to 30 euros.

Criticism comes from the German Federation of Consumer Organizations (vzbv): "Not only will private households find it more difficult to access dynamic electricity tariffs, but as a result they will also lose an overview of their own electricity consumption," Tom Jannek, Head of Energy and Construction at vzbv, told c't. Measures are needed to enable consumers to participate in the energy transition in a cost-effective and secure manner.

Providers of dynamic electricity tariffs also criticize the higher prices for users. "Smart meters on demand enable private households to finally benefit from the increasingly frequent light breezes when electricity prices on the exchange are extremely low or even negative," said Matthias Martensen, co-founder of Ostrom. "Increasing the one-off installation costs so drastically sends the wrong signal to households that want to proactively shape the energy transition with shiftable consumption and thus drive it forward." The German government justifies the higher smart meter prices with a "fair distribution of the costs incurred".

Feed-in power is limited

The law also limits the feed-in power of new PV systems without smart meters to 60 percent. "As almost all newly installed solar systems are now operated with an intelligently operated storage system, operators should not generally suffer any significant disadvantages as a result," explained the German Solar Industry Association. Without a storage system, the loss of profitability would be nine percent in the worst case (south-facing). Balcony power plants are not affected by the rule.

According to the new law, private PV storage systems can also be used to temporarily store grid electricity in the future. "This enables flexible use of storage systems not only for self-consumption, but also for electricity trading and system services," explains the German Solar Industry Association.

Commenting on the adoption of the law, CDU energy politician Andreas Jung said that Parliament was showing its ability to act on important points. The aim was to solve urgent problems. In general, however, fundamental new energy policy decisions would have to be made in the next legislative period.

(cwo)