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ENERGY

Germany’s power supply secure ‘even with earlier coal exit’

Germany's electricity supply during this decade is secure even if the country were to bring its coal exit forward to 2030, according to a government-commissioned report on Wednesday.

Street lights and cars on a main road in Frankfurt am Main
Street lights and cars on a main road in Frankfurt am Main. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sebastian Gollnow

The Federal Network Agency found that Germany’s power needs can be met “at all times” between 2025 and 2031 if the country follows through on plans to massively ramp up renewables and expand the energy grid.

“This will also be the case if energy consumption rises significantly because of new consumers such as electric vehicles and heat pumps, and the coal phase-out takes place by 2030,” the report said.

Europe’s biggest economy is speeding up its green energy transition after Russia’s war in Ukraine sent gas and electricity prices soaring and left Berlin scrambling to diversify supplies.

READ ALSO: Energy prices could double long-term in Germany, utilities companies warn

To help compensate for the shortfall in Russian gas deliveries, the government even restarted mothballed coal-fired power plants.

But Economy Minister Robert Habeck — from the ecologist Green party — has repeatedly said the measure was temporary and that Germany remained committed to quitting dirty fossil fuels.

The government aims to bring forward Germany’s coal exit to 2030, but has faced pushback from several eastern states that prefer to stick to the previous 2038 deadline.

Habeck on Wednesday acknowledged that there was “no agreement” on the end-date yet.

By 2030, the government wants 80 percent of Germany’s electricity to come from wind and solar power.

Berlin has pledged to cut red tape for installing wind turbines to meet the ambitious target, but observers say the pace is still too slow.

“We’re working on all fronts to become faster, more efficient,” Habeck told reporters in Berlin.

As part of the shift away from fossil fuels, the government also plans to only allow new gas-fired power plants if they can be converted to run on clean hydrogen.

“Gas is OK for the transition phase, but we need to get away from gas and switch to hydrogen power as soon as possible,” Habeck said.

READ ALSO: Is now a good time to switch energy providers in Germany?

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CLIMATE CRISIS

How installing solar panels at home is set to become easier in Germany

As part of its drive to roll out renewable energy, Germany has passed a new law that will make it easier to install solar panels on your balcony. Here's what homeowners and renters need to know.

How installing solar panels at home is set to become easier in Germany

With rising prices affecting almost every area of life, many people are looking for ways to cut costs wherever they can. 

When it comes to electricity, this could include looking at renewable options like installing solar panels on your balcony.

According to data from the Federal Network Agency’s Market Data Register, this is an increasingly popular choice. As of April 2nd this year, there were around 400,000 balcony solar units in operation in Germany, compared to just 230,000 in the summer of last year.

These little photovoltaic systems can be a great way to become more self-sufficient by producing your own energy for the home – but despite the benefits, you may have been put off by fears of mountains of paperwork and an uncertainty around the rules.

READ ALSO: How to install a solar panel on your balcony in Germany (even if you rent)

The government’s new Solar Energy Package, passed on Friday, aims to solve this issue by making it simpler for people in apartments or single-family homes to install solar panels and use their own energy.

It’s part of a major drive to roll out renewable energy in Germany, pushing up photovoltaic capacity from 7.5 gigawatts in 2022 to 22 gigawatts in 2026 and ultimately 215 gigawatts by 2030. 

But what exactly is changing for homeowners and renters? Here’s what we know so far.

Streamlined registration process

Rather than having to register with your local network operator when installing solar panels on your balcony, in future simply registering with the Federal Network Agency’s Market Data Register will suffice. This streamlined process has been in place since April 1st, 2024. 

Increased capacity allowance

Solar devices installed in the home are allowed to be more powerful in future. If your future device has an installed output of up to 2 kilowatts and an inverter output of up to 800 volt-amperes in total, you can register it quickly in a simple and unbureaucratic registration process.

Previously, devices were only allowed an inverter output of up to 600 volt-amperes. 

No barriers on meters

In a transitional measure designed to encourage more people to switch to solar energy, balcony installations can be run through any type of meter on the market.

Solar panels on a German balcony

Solar panels on a balcony in Germany. The government is making it easier for people to produce – and use – their own solar energy. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/iStock.comMaryanaSerdynska | Maryana Serdynska

This includes meters without a backstop, which run backwards when more energy is produced than is used. These, alongside normal one-way meters with a backdrop, will be permitted for a limited time until modern digital meters can be installed. 

Under previous rules, both older types of meter were prohibited. 

Simpler energy storage

In future, balcony solar systems will be able to store energy with a conventional shockproof plug. This will make installation way easier than it was before.

READ ALSO: German government to subsidise up to €30,000 of heating revamp costs

Easier operation of multi-unit buildings

To enable tenants in apartment blocks to use cheaper solar power from roofs, garages or battery storage systems directly, the new instrument of “communal building supply” is being introduced. This eliminates the complicated requirement to feed energy into the general electricity grid and permits residents to use the energy generated themselves.

In future, tenants will also be able to take out an affordable supplementary tariff themselves for electricity that is not covered by their solar installation. Some rules on this still need to be clarified though, so watch this space. 

Tenant subsidies in commercial buildings

In future, tenant electricity will also be subsidised for commercial buildings and ancillary facilities such as garages if the electricity generated there is consumed immediately, i.e. without being fed through the grid.

This allows several energy systems to be combined and should avoid the overwhelming technical barriers that were previously a problem in residential neighbourhoods. 

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