More and more people want to reduce their electricity bill with a small photovoltaic system. In the future, tenants should be entitled to this and no longer have to justify their application.
The Federal Ministry of Justice wants to make it easier for tenants and apartment owners to install so-called plug-in solar devices. They should have a legal right to the installation of the devices, also known as balcony power plants. This is provided for in a draft bill that is available to the German Press Agency. This would eliminate the need to justify an application for installation to the landlord or the owners’ meeting.
The draft provides for changes to the Home Ownership Act and the Civil Code. According to the ministry, he went into the departmental vote on Tuesday. The “world” had reported on the draft.
generate electricity from sunlight
With a plug-in solar device, a solar panel generates electricity from sunlight, which an inverter converts into “household electricity”. This is connected to the electrical circuit in the apartment. The current from the solar device then flows to the electrical devices. In return, less electricity is drawn from the grid, as the consumer advice center NRW explains.
The draft emphasizes the lower effort compared to the applicable regulations: “The time saved will typically be greater in the case of home ownership than in the case of rented apartments, because at homeowners’ meetings, requests for the installation of plug-in solar devices usually trigger a considerable need for discussion.” The landlords of apartments, on the other hand, usually come to decisions more quickly.
The Bavarian Minister of Justice Georg Eisenreich (CSU) explained: “Every kilowatt hour of electricity from renewable energies can help. That’s why we welcome the fact that the Federal Minister of Justice has taken up the suggestion from Bavaria to facilitate the installation of balcony power plants.”
The energy industry association BDEW spoke of fewer bureaucratic hurdles, which make sense as long as the technical rules are observed. “But balcony PV does not replace the PV expansion on the roofs, which is usually much more efficient,” explained BDEW General Manager Kerstin Andreae. “To do this, we need simpler and more attractive rules, especially for apartment buildings.”
In the same law, the Ministry of Justice also wants to facilitate virtual homeowners’ meetings. According to the draft, they should be possible if at least three quarters of the owners vote for it. It is still unclear when the law will be discussed in the cabinet.
Draft of May 17, 2023 Report of the “Welt” (payment barrier) Photovoltaic strategy of the BMWK from May 5th, 2023 Information from the consumer advice center NRW on plug-in solar systems
Source: Stern
