The PACT project aims to provide the necessary elements for rapidly introducing
policy to combat climate change - giving parliamentarians, civil servants, and
advocates around the world access to the legal and technical expertise needed to
envisage, to argue for and to enact laws and policies that effectively protect
the climate. Find out more...
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- What is a FIT law?
- Before you start drafting
- Features of a good FIT law
- Country- and region-specific information
Germany
Germany has a FIT law.
The law is the Renewable Energy Sources Act 2004, amended in 2006 (Gesetz für den Vorrang Erneuerbarer Energien, EEG). It was preceded by the Electricity Fed-in Act 1990, and the Renewable Energy Act 2000.
Summary
The purposes of the German law are to facilitate sustainable development of energy supply, in particular to protect the climate and wider environment; to reduce energy supply costs to the national economy; to contribute to avoiding conflicts over fossil fuels; and to promote the further development of technologies for the generation of electricity from renewable energy sources. The law is intended to contribute to increasing renewable energy sources in power supply to at least 12.5% by 2010 and at least 20% by 2020.
Under the law, grid operators are obliged to immediately and priority connect eligible renewable energy (and mine gas) plants to the grid, and as a priority to purchase and transmit electricity from these plants, generally for 20 years, regardless of grid capacity. The tariff (or price) paid for the electricity is set on a technology-specific basis, varying by size, and reducing automatically by 1-6.5% annually for new plants coming into the system. These obligations operate by law, and are not conditional on conclusion of a contract.
EC review and assessment
Read a summary of the European Commission’s 2005 review of Germany’s renewable electricity policies and of its 2007 assessment of Germany’s progress in meeting the target set out in Directive 2001/77/EC.
Legal analysis
Read a legal analysis of the German law.
More information
Germany is a member of the international Feed-in Cooperation
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