April 22, 2024, 11:07 am | Read time: 4 minutes
For a long time, nothing happened with the so-called “Solar Package 1″–now it’s set to launch. This will also bring changes to balcony power plants. What’s the current status? And what does it mean for renters?
Balcony power plants, also known as plug-in solar modules, are currently in demand–especially for generating electricity for one’s own household. The “Solar Package 1” aims to make it easier for private households to install these modules. Originally, the launch was planned for the beginning of the year but was delayed. Now, the coalition parties have approved it, and the public hearing is scheduled for April 22. Afterward, it only needs to pass through the Bundestag and Bundesrat–which is not expected to be a major hurdle. But what exactly is the Solar Package about?
What’s in the Solar Package?
The proposed plan aims to make setting up balcony photovoltaic systems as simple as possible. Until now, anyone wanting to install a balcony power plant had to register it with the grid operator. Additionally, the use of a so-called bidirectional meter was required. Both requirements are set to be eliminated. In the future, it will suffice to register the balcony power plant in a database.
The Solar Package also aims to allow the previously proposed increase in permissible inverter power to 800 watts. Previously, the upper limit was 600 watts. The plug-in solar cells themselves could even have a capacity of 2,000 watts.
Temporarily, it will also be possible to continue using older, non-digital electricity meters. These meters would then run backward when electricity is fed from the balcony into the grid. Additionally, bureaucracy in this area is to be massively reduced and processes simplified.
Read more: When a solar system on the balcony is worthwhile
What does this mean for renters and balcony power plants?
With the Solar Package, renters are to have a legal right to install a plug-in solar system for electricity generation, explains Anja Franz from the Munich Tenants’ Association upon myHOMEBOOK’s request. “This means you still have to ask the landlord for permission, but they can only refuse in exceptional cases and after considering all circumstances,” explains the expert in tenancy law.
So, if the draft passes the Bundestag and Bundesrat, renters can demand that their landlord allow the installation of the desired balcony power plant. “If the landlord does not grant permission, they can also take legal action,” adds Franz. Objections such as visual impairment, impact on the neighbor’s lighting conditions, or temporary glare effects should no longer play a significant role in the landlord’s decision, according to Franz.
Renters can also offer the landlord a security deposit, similar to a rental deposit. This ensures that funds are available for dismantling upon moving out–if required. “However, the landlord cannot demand this security,” Franz clarifies.
What Renters and Homeowners Should Know About Balcony Power Plants
Important Update for Balcony Power Plants: Electricity Meters Can Run Backward
Large solar systems should also benefit
The plans for “Solar Package 1” also include easier use of self-generated solar power in multi-family homes. Additionally, larger systems with high self-consumption are to benefit from the innovations in the Solar Package: The draft law provides that systems with an installed capacity of 100 kilowatts can provide their excess energy to the grid operator without financial compensation–but also without costs. Previously, operators of such systems were required to market their energy directly.
It is also planned to use more open spaces for the construction of solar parks. This includes making disadvantaged agricultural areas generally accessible for the promotion of photovoltaic systems. However, the expansion on agriculturally used land is initially to be limited to 80 gigawatts by 2030.
Less bureaucracy, more solar energy
The Solar Package has unfortunately been delayed, but now there’s a green light. If the government’s plans to ease the operation of balcony power plants are confirmed, many households could benefit. Until now, the registration process with the energy supplier was a bureaucratic hurdle that could now be eliminated. Interested parties are also likely to welcome the increase in maximum power.
Innovation in tenant electricity
The so-called tenant electricity refers to power that comes from the immediate neighborhood of the consuming household–such as from a solar system on the roof of a multi-family house. The advantage: The electricity is not first routed through public grids. Here, too, there are some innovations due to the Solar Package.
Until now, it was quite complicated for landlords to implement tenant electricity. In the future, however, this should become easier–provided the generated electricity is not fed into the grid but consumed directly in the building. The draft law explicitly mentions the permission for intermediate storage. Some obligations imposed by the Energy Industry Act on conventional electricity suppliers are to be lifted for the supply of tenant electricity.