Environmental groups appeal against axing support for rooftop solar in Germany

A group of environmental organisations has called on the German government to abandon plans to scrap support payments for small rooftop solar power installations, arguing this would severely impede one of the energy transition’s “central building blocks.” In a joint appeal, environmental umbrella group DNR together with NGOs including Greenpeace, Nabu, BUND and others, warn that ending guaranteed remuneration for roof-mounted solar panels, as proposed by economy minister Katherina Reiche, will drain billions of euros from private energy transition investments. 

About two thirds of Germany’s installed solar power capacity is built on roofs, the NGO alliance said, arguing that ending support for small projects would make electricity more expensive, weaken regional value creation, and erode trust in stable policy frameworks. “Small rooftop installations have a key role to play,” the organisations said. They would allow citizens, municipalities and also small and medium-sized businesses to actively participate in the energy transition and support local trades. 

Germany has paid more than 80 billion euros annually on average for imported fossil fuels since 2008, the NGOs said. This is money that is “irreversibly lost” to the national economy and often flows to authoritarian regimes, they added. By contrast, public support payments to renewable installations currently stand at 15 billion euros per year – a figure that is likely to fall significantly as older, more expensive renewable energy projects reach the end of their 20-year support period.

Restricting support for roof-mounted systems would increase pressure to build more ground-mounted installations, which require more land, the groups said. Rather than cutting support, rooftop solar PV should become a binding standard for new buildings, the environmental alliance argued. “Especially at a time of geopolitical crises and increasing living costs, an energy policy that brings together security, affordability and climate action is indispensable.” 

The economy ministry plans to axe subsidies for small rooftop solar panels as well as to limit priority grid access for new renewable energy projects. According to economy minister Reiche, roof-mounted solar PV systems have already reached market maturity and no longer require state support. She has argued that steps to control the expansion of renewable energy capacity are needed to keep costs in check and allow grid infrastructure to catch up.