Page 2: Ferraris meter can stay for now and run backwards

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However, another regulation will make things much easier for the plug-in solar world: the installation of a bidirectional meter, legally referred to as a "modern measuring system", or a smart meter, a so-called "intelligent measuring system", no longer has to take place before commissioning. Old induction meters may also continue to be used for the time being. Some of these meters will then run backwards - until they are replaced. This is because the modern variants must be available everywhere by 2032: up to 6,000 kWh annual consumption, a bidirectional meter will be sufficient; for higher consumption, it must be an "iMSys". Anyone who wants to avoid a smart meter for the foreseeable future despite such higher consumption could now be tempted to reduce their nominal consumption at the Ferraris meter using the power of the sun.

Even with the new regulations, the proper commissioning of balcony power plants will therefore remain a bureaucratic miracle for most citizens for the time being, which in reality is likely to be simply ignored. This is because the sales figures for balcony solar systems are at an extremely high level. 270,000 plug-in solar devices were officially registered with the Federal Network Agency in 2023. In addition, there is a high number of unregistered micro power plants.

Storage systems can switch in and out of EEG funding

Battery storage systems also play a major role in the solar package. They are becoming increasingly popular, but also lead to some delimitation difficulties. This is because if they can also draw electricity from the general grid and store it temporarily, it does not automatically come from renewable energy sources. As a result, systems with storage facilities that not only store green electricity but also so-called grey electricity have so far generally been completely excluded from EEG funding - in other words, there is no feed-in tariff for solar power temporarily stored in them. The coalition has recently made further changes here.

There will be two options in future. The first: in future, battery storage systems can either be registered as part of renewable energy systems for two months and only be fed by them. Or in the other months as simple storage systems for better control of the overall grid-available electricity mix. Storage system operators can then switch between the models up to five times a year and still remain eligible for financial support under the Renewable Energy Sources Act for the periods in which they are filled with locally produced green electricity. The legislator then considers the uncertainty that there may also be residual fossil electricity in the storage facility at any given time to be negligible - the EEG remuneration is ultimately calculated according to the amount of electricity in the respective period.

The second option is to switch more quickly, without any frequency restrictions. However, this model still has a major catch: it must be technically ensured that only electricity from renewable sources can be stored during registered renewable periods. And immediately before the switch, the storage facilities must be demonstrably and extensively emptied. It is still unclear what this will look like in practice, and the legislators are aware of this: practical solutions still need to be found for these regulations, according to the explanatory notes to the regulations. The Federal Network Agency and the Federal Office for Information Security still have to develop specifications, including for the parameterization of the storage software, how empty a storage system must and may be at the time of replacement without discharging the battery excessively.

Getting on the roof should also be worthwhile for owners and tenants

New regulations for systems on apartment buildings could prove to be particularly relevant for tenants, houses with several owners and connected buildings such as rows of terraced houses. With shared building supply, the operator can become an additional electricity supplier for the users in the building - in addition to their normal electricity provider. Heise online has already explained exactly how this works. Solar Package I now clarifies the rules for this: Electricity generated in this way may - the agreement makes this explicitly clear once again - also be stored temporarily. The latest amendments also clarify that the place of consumption does not have to be exactly where the electricity was generated - for example, wall boxes in garages or other connected components are also permitted. For both users and operators, shared building supply is an attractive model that can quickly pay off for everyone involved.

Also relevant for tenant electricity models: the minimum term should be two years in future. It is also clarified: Tenant electricity supply and tenancy agreement are not linked - however, the tenant electricity agreement will end automatically on the day the tenant moves out.

Airstream power plants as a beacon of hope

A currently not yet fully developed and non-solar technology has also been immortalized in Solar Package I during the consultations: Aero-wind power plants, known as onshore wind turbines in energy law terms. For over a decade, great hopes have been pinned on variants of this type of electricity generation: a flying object, usually a kite or similar to a glider, moves with the wind at a height of several hundred meters. In the process, a cable is pulled further and further upwards - and its pull generates electricity at a ground station, which could provide remarkable amounts of energy with considerably less construction effort. Once the pull is exhausted, the flying object descends and the "power cycle" starts all over again. Sufficient wind blows almost constantly in the air layers above the normal rotary-wing wind turbines. Such airborne wind turbines are currently still being tested, but they were given extensive regulations in the solar package shortly before the deadline. For example, they are no longer required to submit a site survey prior to construction - and a flat-rate reference value is set for the yield they achieve so that they are eligible for subsidies under the Renewable Energy Sources Act.

(dahe)