Installation of a PV system

The scope of the bureaucratic hurdles and requirements surprised us very much and presented us with new challenges time and again. We would like to present these specifically once again in order to prove our reputation for reducing bureaucracy with this example. In short, it is very counterproductive to for the state to demand and promote the expansion of PV systems, while on the other hand, the hurdles imposed by a wide range of authorities and agencies are so extremely high that they can no longer be overcome by laypeople.

The demand for the expansion of renewable energies is omnipresent. However, investing in them is anything but a sure-fire success. There are no uniform standards and specifications. On the contrary, a lot of initiative and responsibility on the part of the company is required if such a project, as in our case the investment in a large-scale PV system, is to succeed. The EEG law leaves a lot of room for interpretation here. For “laypeople”, the legal situation is almost incomprehensible. Working through the formalities requires an enormous internal effort – in our case, this was the equivalent to about two months of work by one person.

In addition to clarifying the financing and insurance of the system, it is necessary to fill out more than 16 forms with the network operator alone, ranging from the application, grounding protocols and confirmations, and ultimately to the operating licence procedure. In addition, extensive network contracts with additional agreements, applications for direct marketing and applications for evidence of remote control must be concluded.

Another hurdle is the necessary acceptance by an expert at various construction phases – appointments must be booked at least one year in advance.

Other things to address are the market master data register, in which it is mandatory to registrate PV systems larger than 30 kW. In addition, a confirmation from the public utility companies must be made here.  A further user account must be created at the national register of guarantees in order to report the system to the Federal Environment Agency. About 10 different, comprehensive online forms must also be filled out at the main customs office in order to be able to apply for an exemption from electricity tax due to on-site consumption when using the electricity where it is generated. Due to the necessary comprehensive knowledge of PV technology and tax law, these forms cannot be managed without external support.

Even after the successful completion of the project, i.e. the commissioning of the system, further formalities must be complied with. For example, an annual report of the generated electricity consumed on site as well as the power fed into the grid must be made. This report must be sent – even in the digital age – in paper form by post to the main customs office.

We are lucky to have a young business in our group of companies that has not least committed itself to the issue of “energy efficiency”. kuhn.innovation has given us great support in processing and implementing the project and also provides this service for external companies. Nevertheless, if the expansion to use renewable energies is to noticeably progress, we must make use of “the potential of many thousands of little ones”. However, the way still has to be considerably smoothed for this to happen. A reduction of the numerous bureaucratic hurdles would probably be more effective at this point than the introduction of subsidies, which again requires complex applications to acquire them.