Suppliers urge clear standards, bureaucracy cuts to implement energy sharing concepts in Germany
Clean Energy Wire
Germany needs leaner bureaucratic requirements for energy sharing projects, energy industry association BDEW said. Consumers should more easily be able to access energy sharing schemes without putting the grid at risk or adding too much red tape, said BDEW head Kerstin Andreae. Her comments come ahead of a vote in the government cabinet on a law reform to adopt EU energy rules at the national level.
Up until now, people, local governments, and medium-sized businesses have been able to work together to run renewable energy systems through regional community energy companies. Energy sharing would allow them to access the generated electricity at reduced rates. However, BDEW said sharing should be limited to the distribution grid level to reduce stress on the grid and a centralised state-run administration that regulates the schemes countrywide.
The planned reform to Germany’s Energy Industry Act (EnWG) was generally going in the right direction form the industry’s perspective, Andreae said. However, it should be implemented with an eye on companies’ ability to implement the energy transition while maintaining a secure energy supply. “This includes pushing for less strict rules in Brussels and having more courage to simplify procedures nationally,” Andreae said.
Kai Lobo, deputy leader of local utility association VKU welcomed the introduction of energy sharing in the planned reform. “Many municipalities are interested in it. Locally produced green electricity can be used for energy-intensive processes, for example waste water treatment of for public swimming pools.” However, implementing the schemes would remain difficult without smart metering systems and standardised accounting procedures.
The European Union enshrined energy sharing in its Renewable Energy Directive in 2019, originally with a deadline to include it in national law by mid-2021. Energy sharing models already exist in several EU member states, including Austria where a one-stop shop helps consumers to set up or join new energy-sharing schemes.
