German municipalities encouraged to financially participate in solar parks

Since the approval of Germany's 2021 renewable energy law (EEG), solar park operators have been allowed to offer local municipalities a financial share in the kilowatt-hours fed into the grid. The recently amended EEG 2023 extends this opportunity to new and existing systems.

Free sample contracts at www.sonne-sammeln.de/mustervertrag provide legal clarity on how this option can be regulated. The contracts include a simplified version for existing systems, a contract for new and repowered systems, a supplementary sheet explaining the contract's content, and additional information for ensuring a legally secure agreement.

The Association of Energy Market Innovators (BNE) initiated the development of the model contract, with contributions from the German Association of Towns and Municipalities (DStGB), the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), and the German Association of Local Public Utilities (VKU).

According to the BNE, a ground-mounted PV system with a 50 MW output can result in annual contributions of €100,000 ($107.4 million) to the community budget. Robert Busch, managing director of the BNE, said that increased participation in the energy transition benefits structurally weak regions and promotes acceptance, ensuring that local communities, farmers, and biodiversity benefit from photovoltaics.

Gerd Landsberg, general manager of DStGB, urged operators to promptly submit offers to affected communities, streamlining the process of financial participation and minimizing bureaucracy. Local acceptance of the energy transition is crucial for the PV sector to achieve its ambitious expansion targets.

Wieland Lehnert, an attorney at law firm Becker Büttner Held (BBH), noted that the updated model contract fully incorporates the new legal framework. The updated supplementary sheet addresses legal questions concerning the contract for all parties involved.