Those who are currently planning a photovoltaic system or installing one in February should take a look at the Solar Peak Law.
In times of negative electricity prices, it seems that there will no longer be any compensation, or operators will be forced to limit the system’s output. From my perspective, this means that photovoltaic systems without storage will likely no longer be economical compared to those with storage.
Our (storage-free) system will be installed on the roof this week, and I hope we can commission it before the deadline for the law to take effect.
In times of negative electricity prices, it seems that there will no longer be any compensation, or operators will be forced to limit the system’s output. From my perspective, this means that photovoltaic systems without storage will likely no longer be economical compared to those with storage.
Our (storage-free) system will be installed on the roof this week, and I hope we can commission it before the deadline for the law to take effect.
According to an article in a specialized online magazine for electric vehicles and photovoltaics, it is voluntary for existing installations:
Operators of already existing solar power systems can voluntarily switch to the new regulation. As an incentive, they receive a tariff increase of 0.6 cents/kWh.
J
Jesse Custer6 Feb 2025 09:10Here is a neat summary:
Once again, a wonderful bureaucratic monster in summary.
We ourselves fall under point three – someone from the municipal utilities once came by and wanted to check how we were regulated back in ’23. I made it pretty clear that, being about 10 cm (4 inches) taller and roughly 40 kg (88 lbs) heavier than him, I was quite curious how he planned to fiddle with the settings of my solar system including the battery.
On that basis, the guys will probably just sweep point four under the rug.
- Operators of systems commissioned between January 1, 2023, and the effective date of the new law (expected March 1, 2025) do not have to reduce their system output at all – okay, that’s clear.
- Operators of systems commissioned before September 14, 2022, who had already limited their output to 70 percent, can keep that 70 percent limit and do not need to reduce it further to 60 percent – okay, at least no electrician needs to be bothered.
- Operators of systems commissioned before September 14, 2022, and up to 7 kW in size, who had increased their feed-in power back to 100 percent after January 1, 2023, are allowed to remain at 100 percent and do not have to reduce again – okay, same here.
- However: Operators of systems that never limited output under the old 70 percent rule—for example, because they couldn’t find a service provider or simply forgot—must adjust their system to 60 percent of feed-in power as required by the new law. I am curious how this (a) will be verified and (b) implemented, especially if, for example, no service provider was found beforehand.
Once again, a wonderful bureaucratic monster in summary.
We ourselves fall under point three – someone from the municipal utilities once came by and wanted to check how we were regulated back in ’23. I made it pretty clear that, being about 10 cm (4 inches) taller and roughly 40 kg (88 lbs) heavier than him, I was quite curious how he planned to fiddle with the settings of my solar system including the battery.
On that basis, the guys will probably just sweep point four under the rug.
D
DaGoodness6 Feb 2025 09:20I assume that we then fall under point 4. Our system is from 2020 and has been running at 100% from the start.
Okay, since I’ve been following this for a while, I might be able to clarify a few things.
When does it come into effect:
As soon as it is published in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger?). It is expected by the end of the month.
Are existing systems affected:
No. Existing installations still have protection under current regulations. We have fixed feed-in tariffs in our contracts.
Why was it changed:
Our Renewable Energy Act fund is running empty. To put a stop to this, the fixed feed-in tariff for energy fed into the grid needs to be regulated differently. Basically, it’s a fair measure.
What changes:
As of now, it only applies to new systems larger than 7 kWp. For the rest, participation is voluntary.
The feed-in tariff will become flexible. This means if the market electricity price is high, we earn a good amount; if it’s low or even negative (like during midday in summer), earnings are low or zero. However, since the feed-in tariff is guaranteed for 20 years, a somewhat complex formula will add the periods of negative or zero payments to the end. So, for example, you might get 20 years plus 6 months of payments.
To manage this properly, a smart meter is mandatory. As a transitional measure (currently only about 2% of customers in Germany have a smart meter), there will be a fixed cap of 60% applied if you do not want a smart meter.
The smart meter plus a bit of added technology will naturally involve an annual fee, which varies depending on the model and can be quite expensive depending on the grid operator.
For those interested in the details, the YouTube channel GewaltigNachhaltig offers in-depth coverage and updates on the current developments.
When does it come into effect:
As soon as it is published in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger?). It is expected by the end of the month.
Are existing systems affected:
No. Existing installations still have protection under current regulations. We have fixed feed-in tariffs in our contracts.
Why was it changed:
Our Renewable Energy Act fund is running empty. To put a stop to this, the fixed feed-in tariff for energy fed into the grid needs to be regulated differently. Basically, it’s a fair measure.
What changes:
As of now, it only applies to new systems larger than 7 kWp. For the rest, participation is voluntary.
The feed-in tariff will become flexible. This means if the market electricity price is high, we earn a good amount; if it’s low or even negative (like during midday in summer), earnings are low or zero. However, since the feed-in tariff is guaranteed for 20 years, a somewhat complex formula will add the periods of negative or zero payments to the end. So, for example, you might get 20 years plus 6 months of payments.
To manage this properly, a smart meter is mandatory. As a transitional measure (currently only about 2% of customers in Germany have a smart meter), there will be a fixed cap of 60% applied if you do not want a smart meter.
The smart meter plus a bit of added technology will naturally involve an annual fee, which varies depending on the model and can be quite expensive depending on the grid operator.
For those interested in the details, the YouTube channel GewaltigNachhaltig offers in-depth coverage and updates on the current developments.
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