Trade group calls for targeted changes to Germany’s EEG-2027 draft at WindEnergy Hamburg

At WindEnergy Hamburg 2026, Germany's major utility and energy association BDEW set out detailed changes it wants to the government's draft EEG-2027 framework. The association framed its comments around keeping renewable expansion efficient, compatible with other reforms, and bankable for projects and landowners.

Southern quota to rebalance auctions

BDEW proposed inserting a temporary southern quota for onshore-wind within regular EEG auction rounds. The quota would allocate a portion of auction volume specifically to southern Germany to encourage more geographically balanced build-out. Any volume not awarded under the southern quota during an auction round would revert to the nationwide auction volume within the same round.

Why this matters: Germany's wind build-up has been uneven. A targeted quota aims to steer some capacity to under-served regions without shrinking national auction volumes.

Position on rents and auction signals

The association opposed a government proposal to cap land rents for wind projects. BDEW argues that auction competition already drives down award values and places cost pressure on rents. It warned a rental cap could reduce land availability, harm the project pipeline, and undermine the bankability of existing contracts.

BDEW rejected a proposed 50% active-power limit for installations up to 100 kWp, regardless of their electricity marketing arrangement or metering technology. The association said such a limit would constrain the ability of assets to provide flexibility through direct marketing, storage, energy-management systems, and bidirectional charging.

On rooftop solar, BDEW backed a plan to support small systems designed for self-consumption only where electricity is directly marketed, but only after a transition period. The group specifically called for the market premium to be available for installations below 25 kW to help the sector move toward market-based sales.

Smart-meter threshold and administrative burden

BDEW opposed lowering the smart-meter exemption threshold to include very small systems up to 2 kW. It asked that the existing seven kW threshold remain, arguing that extending mandatory smart-meter installation to very small systems would be unnecessary and disproportionate.

The association wants clearer, more flexible routes for projects to move into and out of EEG support. It also proposed state-backed protection against buyer default risk for unsupported renewable electricity offtakes. BDEW says such protection could widen the pool of counterparties and reduce financing costs for projects operating outside EEG payments.

Interaction with grid reform and AgNes

BDEW emphasized that EEG changes must work coherently with planned grid-connection reforms and the AgNes process. The association warned against double regulation and unintended interactions between market, grid, and support rules.

The trade group points to significantly lower award values in EEG onshore-wind auctions as evidence the sector already contributes to cost reductions. Its proposals aim to preserve competitive pressures while avoiding measures that could limit land access, raise financing costs, or restrict operational flexibility for assets.

If adopted, the southern quota would change auction outcomes regionally while leaving national volumes intact. Rejection of a rent cap and small-system mandates would maintain current market signals and thresholds. State-backed default protection could lower financing risk for unsupported projects, but would require government implementation details and safeguards.

The EEG-2027 draft will move through legislative and stakeholder review. BDEW's submission is positioned to influence debates about auction design, small-system regulation, and how EEG interacts with broader grid and market reforms.