The German Bundestag and the Bundesrat adopted the Solar Package today. In light of the ambitious PV targets for 2030, the adopted measures will speed up the rate of expansion of PV capacity and of other renewables. The accelerated expansion of renewable energy which was anchored in the Renewable Energy Sources Act at the beginning of the legislative term is key to attain the climate targets and guarantee competitive prices in a climate-neutral electricity system.

Federal Minister Habeck said: "The agreement on the Solar Package reached today is an important step to attain our expansion targets. After the record year of 2023 with an expansion of PV capacity of more than 14 gigawatts, we have now laid the foundation for simplified and less bureaucratic deployment. The Package is a further booster for the expansion of solar energy. We will thus speed up the expansion of solar energy - ranging from balcony PV installations and larger rooftop installations on commercial building to large-scale ground-mounted installations - and cut red tape. The Package also includes important provisions to accelerate the expansion of wind energy, bioenergy and grid connections."

The revision of the Federal Climate Change Act has also been adopted. This will make climate policy more forward-looking, flexible and efficient. It is crucial that the climate targets and the respective annual emission volumes have not been changed. The reform does not result in a single tonne more of CO2 being emitted than is allowed under the existing rules.

The Solar Package implements the majority of measures under the Solar Strategy of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. This strategy and the Solar Package were drawn up in close coordination with the stakeholders in the context of two photovoltaics summits to guarantee a smooth implementation. The Solar Package comprises measures for trade and commerce, for residential buildings to ensure the participation of tenants, for PV installations on balconies and for ground-mounted installations. The rules have been considerably simplified for installation operators in many respects. Furthermore, the Solar Package also includes provisions to accelerate the expansion of other renewables, grids and storage facilities.

You can find an overview of the Solar Package I (in German) here.