© Anastasiia

Solar package for more speed and less bureaucracy

The Solar Package I, which recently entered into force, is to give the expansion of photovoltaics capacity another boost. It simplifies the rules on balcony-based power plants, photovoltaics installations on apartment buildings, and landlord-to-tenant electricity supply.

There is a good reason why the energy transition focuses on a swift expansion of photovoltaics (PV): photovoltaic energy is considered one of the cheapest energy sources and is one of the most important sources of electricity. In recent years, the expansion in Germany and across the world has picked up speed. This is good news as the targets set out in the Paris Agreement and in Germany’s 2023 Renewable Energy Sources Act require a fast pace: by 2030, some 215 gigawatts are to have been installed in Germany in total – half of which on rooftops and half on the ground. To reach these targets, the expansion of PV must be stepped up considerably to 22 GW per year as of 2026.

The Solar Package I contains a number of measures to accelerate the expansion of PV installations and to get citizens more involved in this effort. The package is based on the Ministry’s Photovoltaics Strategy (in German), which is informed by several sectoral dialogues and around 600 comments by stakeholders, and was presented to the public in May 2023.

The expansion of PV installations on rooftops and buildings

The Solar Package I is to speed up the expansion of PV rooftop installations and on buildings by streamlining procedures and cutting red tape. For instance, it is now easier to register balcony PV installations, existing thresholds have become more flexible (especially for commercial PV), and new rules on shared buildings supply make it possible to supply electricity from PV within a given building without much bureaucratic hassle. Simplified procedures for grid connection and the direct marketing of electricity from small installations up to 25 kW, improved rules on the repowering of rooftop installations and more funding options for installations mounted on the outside of buildings are all part of the package of measures for a swift PV roll-out.

Solar Package I to strengthen expansion of ground-mounted installations

The package also contains a full set of rules designed to allow for a more lasting expansion of ground-mounted PV installations. In future, more areas are to be available for solar farms – in a way that does not neglect agricultural or environmental interests. The solution here is to particularly reward multiple land use, for instance PV installations on land that is also being used for agriculture (agrivoltaics). Sealed areas are also to be used, which is why there is special funding available for PV on areas such as car parks.

These special types of solar installations will be given preferential treatment in future rounds of auctions, both through priority approval and higher maximum values and, in the segment for small-scale installations, through higher fixed-rate funding. The expansion of photovoltaics capacity on agricultural land is capped at a maximum of 80 GW up to 2030. This is because at least 50% of PV capacity is to be mounted on buildings or noise barriers. This is set out in the Renewable Energy Sources Act.

Make your balcony a source of solar energy

There is not much to consider if you want to install your own solar power plant on your balcony (link in German only). Simply choose a plug-in solar installation from a DIY store and mount it on your balcony or terrace railing or on another suitable structure. Once you have connected the device up to your dwelling’s electricity system – ideally via an ‘energy socket’, you can use your balcony PV installation to power electrical devices in your household. It is important to ask for your landlord’s permission first and to register the installation with the Bundesnetzagentur through a now much simplified procedure.