The increased subsidy rates apply to solar systems that are put into operation from Saturday, the ministry said. According to the Federal Association of the Solar Industry, the current remuneration rates are between 4.26 and 6.24 cents per kilowatt hour, depending on the size of the system. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the new rules should also simplify grid connection, especially for small systems.
At the beginning of July, the Bundestag approved a legislative package presented by the federal government for the promotion of renewable energies. This set the goal for at least 80 percent of the German electricity supply to come from renewable sources in 2030; by 2035, the proportion is expected to increase to almost 100 percent. To this end, the expansion targets for solar and wind energy, both on land and at sea, have been raised.
The first regulations from this package have now come into force, and further measures, such as changes to the Federal Nature Conservation Act for the construction of wind turbines, will follow on January 1, 2023, according to the ministry.
“In view of the worsening climate crisis and the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, renewable energies have become a question of national and European security,” said Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens). “We have to convert our energy system as quickly as possible, away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energies.”
