The proposed overhaul of Germany’s solar support scheme by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) has sparked strong opposition from industry bodies and political opponents.
Ursula Heinen‑Esser, president of the Federation of Renewable Energy, warned that the EEG reform could eliminate feed‑in tariffs for photovoltaic systems on residential roofs. “I can only warn against removing the subsidy for roof‑mounted PV panels” she told the “Handelsblatt” (Friday edition).
Mira Wenzel, project director for the energy transition at Agora Energiewende, told the same newspaper that a sudden halt to the feed‑in tariff would make small rooftop installations uneconomical and risk stalling their expansion.
Carsten Körnig, chief executive of the BSW‑Solar trade association, described the draft as a “frontal attack on small solar installations” in an interview with the “Spiegel”.
In the Bundestag, Green party spokesperson Katharina Dröge called the changes a “solar killer”. “Reiche plans to cut the solar subsidy, rendering many roof systems non‑profitable” she said, adding that homeowners would lose the chance to generate cheap, self‑consumed electricity.
Dröge argued that the most popular form of renewable energy is being deliberately sabotaged, noting that the new heating‑price act is already driving up heating costs and that the minister appears to prioritize the interests of large corporations and the fossil fuel lobby over ordinary citizens.
According to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, the federal government intends to abolish subsidies for systems on private dwellings with a capacity of under 25 kW. Owners will be required to secure a buyer for their electricity before they may feed it into the grid, ending the current practice where network operators automatically purchase the power.
For systems smaller than seven kW, a mandatory smart‑meter installation is expected soon.
Under Reiche’s plan, rooftop installations would be allowed to feed in only half of their output into the grid. The feed‑in rate for systems exceeding 25 kW will be standardized, a change that is likely to favour large corporate solar parks operated by companies such as E.ON and RWE, which benefit from economies of scale.
