Germany helped pioneer the political frameworks that made solar a global success. But with daytime electricity prices falling, solar companies under pressure, and significant policy reforms taking shape, could the impressive solar and battery installation rates of recent years slow dramatically?
This week, host Jonathan Gifford speaks with David Wortmann, founder and CEO of Berlin-based consultancy DWR eco, about the proposed overhaul of Germany’s Renewable Energy Act (EEG). The reforms could fundamentally change the financial returns that solar projects can deliver, with support for residential and commercial rooftops set to shrink. But it’s not all one way; utility-scale tender volumes under the same reforms are likely to increase.
Wortmann argues that the main concern may be the speed of the reforms. As solar businesses are pushed towards self-consumption and market-based revenues, it appears that some are struggling to adapt. He discusses whether Germany can strike the right balance between rooftop and utility-scale solar without jeopardizing the country’s stated renewable-energy ambitions.
But as growing solar generation causes intraday power price spreads to grow, there are attractive opportunities for another technology: battery energy storage.
Recorded at the unveiling of a new battery manufacturing facility near Izmir, Turkey, Jonathan speaks with Salomé Perperot, senior consultant at Clean Horizon, about Europe's evolving battery storage economics. As lucrative ancillary service revenues give way to merchant trading opportunities, Perperot explains which markets look most attractive, and why securing even a small share of guaranteed revenue can be crucial to getting battery projects financed.
As both of these conversations demonstrate, generating more renewable electricity is only part of the challenge – the next test is finding the market structures, contracts, and policy settings that make it work.
About The smarter E Podcast
The smarter E podcast is all about the current trends and developments in a renewable, decentralized and digital energy industry. Our host welcomes and interviews personalities who shape our industry and drive developments forward. A new episode is published bi-weekly on Thursdays.
David Wortmann is the founder and CEO of DWR eco, a strategy, communications, and policy consulting firm specializing in renewable energy. For nearly 20 years, David has been promoting the introduction and adoption of new business models and technologies for a green economy at the intersection of industry, politics, and the public. David has advised both Social Democratic and Green Party members of the German Parliament, was a Vice President at U.S. module maker First Solar, and is the founder of the Eco Innovation Alliance, a B2B network of cleantech startups from German-speaking countries.
Salomé Perperot has been an analyst at Clean Horizon since 2023. Before joining the company, she built experience at Vitesco Technologies and Solvay. She studied engineering at Centrale Méditerranée in Marseilles, France, and has completed a Master of Engineering Science at the University of Queensland, Australia.