From pv magazine Germany.
A first draft of what the amendment to Germany’s renewable energy law, the EEG, could look like has leaked from the Federal Ministry of Economics. pv magazine Germany has obtained a copy.
The new law, which is expected to come into force on January 1, 2021, includes a tender scheme for solar and other renewables that could result in the deployment of 18.8 GW of PV power capacity from 2021 to 2028, with a minimum of 1.9 GW and a maximum of 2.8 GW being planned to be allocated per year.
Of this total capacity, 5.3 GW will be tendered in the rooftop segment, while another 13.5 GW will be assigned for large-scale PV projects. Tenders for the rooftop segment will apply to systems larger than 500 kWp, while systems up to 500 kW will be eligible for a feed in tariff.
Through these new tenders, the German federal government wants to further reduce final prices for PV technology. According to the draft, the maximum price in the tenders should drop from the current €0.0750/kWh to €0.0590 for ground-mounted systems. For roof systems, a maximum value of €0.090/kWh is envisaged.
Furthermore, the German government seems to be favorable to increasing the size limit for solar projects from 10 MW currently to 20 MW. The EEG draft also shows that there will be separate tenders for big rooftop projects in the future. So far, these projects had to compete with ground-mounted solar plants in tenders for PV plants ranging in size from 750 kW to 10 MW, and usually had little chance.
Moreover, the draft also defines a framework for PV projects that will see their 20-year FIT contract expire. The operators of these systems will be entitled to receive a special tariff in the future, as the government recognizes that direct sale to the spot market is still unprofitable. However, it is also stated that the federal government wants to promote the expansion of renewable energy sources “as far as possible, market-driven”.
Other core elements of the EEG draft include anchoring the goal of making Germany gas neutral by 2050. In addition, implementation of the Climate Protection Program 2030 will begin when the new law comes into force. The program will include the 65 percent renewable energy target in German electricity consumption. For this purpose, expansion paths are defined for the individual technologies in order to achieve the goal. For photovoltaics, the aim is to increase installed capacity from 52 GW currently to 100 GW. The target for onshore wind power is 71 GW and 20 GW for offshore wind power.
This article was amended on 01.09 to clarify that rooftop PV tenders would apply to systems 500 kW and larger, with smaller arrays still eligible for a feed in tariff.
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