With the upcoming Building Modernisation Act, which among other things transposes requirements of the European Buildings Directive into German law, a nationwide solar mandate will be established. This regulation will also become binding for the construction of new residential buildings from 2030. For project developers and housing companies, the question of installing photovoltaic systems therefore recedes into the background. Instead, the challenge focuses on the optimal sizing of these systems and the strategic use of the electricity generated within the building.
Julius Pahmeier, founder and managing director of VREY, assesses the new regulation as not being a fundamental upheaval for the new build sector, as comparable regulations already exist in many federal states and are often supplemented by funding programmes linked to the installation of photovoltaic systems. Although he is fundamentally critical of regulatory constraints, Pahmeier also sees a simplification of processes in a clear legal requirement, as the basic decision about installing a PV system is eliminated. The crucial question shifts to meaningful implementation.
According to VREY, the implementation of photovoltaic systems is not yet a standard process for many project developers. It requires early integration of technical and economic aspects. Technically, the coordination of various trades is essential, by taking into account topics such as meter structure, heat pumps or wallboxes already in the planning phase. Economically, the focus is on the optimal size of the system, based on the projected electricity consumption in the building. A comprehensive supply concept should therefore be part of project planning from the outset.
Limiting implementation to meeting minimum requirements, for example, using solar power exclusively for general building electricity, often means that the full economic potential of the system remains untapped. In this case, a significant proportion of the electricity generated is fed into the grid. Given declining feed-in tariffs, this option is becoming increasingly unattractive. Community building supply, on the other hand, enables direct use of electricity by the building's residents, which increases local consumption and promotes more efficient system sizing. An important aspect here is that the administrative effort for this model should be kept to a minimum, as this is a decisive factor for project developers and builders.
The earlier project developers integrate these complex issues into the planning phases, the smoother the necessary processes will be. Since the implementation of photovoltaic systems is not yet an established standard for numerous market participants, experienced partners can assist in bringing together technical and economic requirements and defining clear processes. Once established, procedures can then be transferred to subsequent projects and developed into an integral part of regular processes.
