After the Bundestag and Bundesrat cleared the way for the privileging of plug-in solar devices in rental and condominiums in recent weeks, the corresponding “law to authorize virtual homeowners’ meetings, to facilitate the use of plug-in solar devices and to transfer limited personal easements for renewable energies -Attachments” on Wednesday published and is therefore valid from today.
According to the association representatives, this change in the law contributes to reducing bureaucracy and thus creates new freedom for citizens to participate in the energy transition in a constructive and cost-saving manner. It also allows companies to create new, innovative products and value creation models. With Solar Package 1 and the now applicable “right to a balcony power plant”, Germany can further expand its position as the global leader in the use of plug-in solar devices.
Voices from the associations
Sebastian Müller, Balcony Solar / AG Balcony Power Plant: “With the change in the law, the proportion of potentially active participants in the energy transition will be doubled in one fell swoop. Tenants and apartment owners were previously largely excluded from generating and using their own energy. This is finally changing. The privileging of plug-in solar devices essentially means a reversal of the burden of proof, so that balcony power plants must now generally be approved and can only be rejected for legitimate reasons.
Christian Ofenheusle, EmpowerSource / Federal Association of Plug Solar: “The companies active in the field of plug solar have invested a lot in recent years and have demonstrated great innovative strength. By unleashing the market, which can reduce bureaucracy, the foundations for further growth in the industry have been laid.”
Lisa Wendzich, SunCrafter / AG Balcony Power Plant: “In consultations, at events and in workshops on the topic of plug-in solar over the past year and a half, it has become clear again and again that many people are following the implementation of this project very closely; this right simply symbolizes pragmatic and socially thought-out Energy transition policy up close. It’s good that the right to balcony solar is now coming into force, many have had to wait too long for it. “
Dr. Andreas Schmitz, Akkudoktor.net / AG Balcony Power Plant: “It is right and important that the privilege now applies. However, the law leaves open what reasons are now sufficient for a rejection. The Ministry of Justice, which penned the law, must urgently take action here and publish guidelines for case law. Otherwise there will likely be a wave of lawsuits. The Balcony Power Plant AG had already published comprehensive suggestions for this, which have not yet been implemented. This has to be made up for now at the latest.”
Some questions still need to be clarified
Unfortunately, according to the associations, the legislature did not follow the advice of the experts from the hearings on the law, which also included a representative of the Balcony Power Plant AG, as well as the Federal Council’s Environment and Economic Committee. Among other things, they called for larger solar systems and storage systems to be included in the privileged measures. In view of the rapidly increasing number of uses of plug-in home storage systems and new technologies for their operation in a grid-friendly manner, for the shared use of renewable energies (GGV, energy sharing) and for the safe connection of higher PV outputs by laypeople, this urgently needs to be done.
Finally, the question of the permissible maximum power and the type of connection still remains open. While the draft legislation sets limits of 800 watts for inverters and 2,000 watts for solar modules, the draft version of a VDE product standard for plug-in solar devices, which is about to be published, so far stipulates a lower module output. The permissibility of connecting with the common and proven protective contact plug (so-called Schuko plug) is still under discussion there. In addition, the current draft low-voltage guideline VDE AR-N-4105 places additional hurdles on plug-in storage devices. Here, the legislature should push for a timely harmonization of the regulations in order to reduce remaining bureaucratic hurdles and fully increase the potential for low-threshold participation of all citizens in the energy transition. Source: AG balcony power plant / Federal Association of Plug-in Solar / ab
