The German Federal Ministry of Economics is proposing to revise core elements of the country’s renewable energy expansion. According to a “Tagesspiegel Background” report that quotes several insiders from the renewable sector, a new “network package” would alter the current feed‑in and connection priority that are guaranteed to renewable electricity in the national grid.
The package is intended to run alongside the upcoming revision of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG). Under the proposal, new wind and solar installations would no longer be required to connect to the grid “immediately” as the EEG presently mandates. Specifically, if a distribution area recorded more than 3 % of its annual electricity supply from renewables in the previous year – a curtailment rate that already applies in many regions – operators of new plants would have to forgo the statutory compensation for curtailed output for up to ten years. Curtailment is a grid‑operator measure to keep the system stable, meaning that excess renewable power may be rejected rather than fed into the network.
Another planned restriction is that local distribution network operators could set their own connection procedures for wind and solar plants once the plant’s capacity reaches 135 kW. With Germany’s more than 800 distribution network operators, many in the renewable sector fear this would significantly slow down the connection of new projects. Until now, renewable plants enjoy a uniform priority over fossil‑fuel plants such as gas under the current rules. The ministry has said nothing yet about whether it intends to change feed‑in or connection priority.
Criticism of the proposed changes has come from representatives of over 1,000 energy cooperatives that invest in solar, wind, and biomass. Jan Holthaus, a board member of the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Association (DGRV), told reporters that “citizens’ investments require reliable regulatory conditions”. He called for clear rules on refinancing and guaranteed grid access, arguing that without such stability, public participation, necessary investments, and overall acceptance of the energy transition would be hindered.
