Berlin’s new generous subsidy scheme for solar power covers companies and homeowners

The subsidy props up applicants every step of the way, from a feasibility study to renewable energy storage

Today, the local government in Berlin launched a generous subsidy scheme for private companies and homeowners for solar installations. The subsidy scheme called SolarPLUS could finance the costs of building up the private solar capacity of the city in all stages, from the planning and feasibility study to the finished system.

The additions to the previous iterations of the renewables subsidy include renewable energy storage which the scheme could cover fully for single homes. Additionally, it also includes a subsidy for feasibility studies, that is supposed to help large companies with more roof space take advantage of the energy turnaround.

Dr Hinrich Holm, Chairman of the Board of Management of Investitionsbank Berlin is behind setting the standards for the scheme. He was quoted in an official statement by the city, explaining that to look over the roofs of Berlin is to look upon the city’s potential for sustainable power.

Investing in storage capacities

Most solar subsidy schemes up to this point have mainly focused on funding the photovoltaic units themselves, Berlin’s SolarPlus will fund new storage capacities for renewable energy.

Solar units usually reach peak production during midday, when the sun is highest. However, this is also the time with the least consumption of electricity. That problem was not too significant during the first decades of the solar energy rollout.

Now, as renewable sources make up around 40% of Germany’s energy mix and there is a full-blown energy crisis sweeping across Europe, wasting any energy is a serious problem. Integrating renewables with battery storage capacities can make their energy output more stable and help them to cover more of the consumption.

Who is eligible

The city has opened the application process for two months, from 1 September to 1 October. Both private individuals and companies can apply for funding during every stage of development.

This means that the city could cover anything from a feasibility study about how viable a photovoltaic installation would be on a particular building, to the installation itself, both on roofs or on facades.

The funding meets from 45% to 100% of the costs depending on the size of the company applying for the subsidy, but there is also a maximum costs cap. Additionally, for battery storage in particular, for applicants representing one and two-family houses, the local government could end up covering the entire cost, with the rate set at 300 euros per usable kilowatt/hour stored.