Germany’s parliament has passed legislation that should facilitate the build out of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the country.
Specifically, the change in the law provides that battery energy storage systems will be included in the list of measures permitted in outdoor areas, according to Section 35 of the Building Code.
The proposed changes have been mooted for some time and have been welcomed by developers. Carsten Körnig, managing director of German Solar Industry Association (BSW), noted that the new rules would significantly simplify the approval and realisation of battery and heat storage systems, reducing a key hurdle in the country’s energy transition. The rules are expected to come into force later this year.
Germany has also approved changes to its Energy Industry Act to fix a problem that disadvantaged “mixed-use” energy storage systems. Previously, only batteries that took electricity from the grid and then fed it back into the grid were allowed to avoid paying grid fees on the electricity they purchased.
However, most modern storage systems are often paired with solar PV installations or wind energy projects (multi-use or mixed-use storage systems). Under the old rules, those systems could not claim the grid-fee exemption, making their business model uneconomic. The amendment removes that disadvantage.
