Germany’s national trade body, BSW-Solar, has renewed calls for urgent changes to a proposed levy on self-consumed PV-generated electricity.

Its plea comes as draft legislation to reform Germany’s EEG renewable energy act, including the proposed levy, has its first reading in the Bundestag, the federal parliament.

BSW-Solar said that without urgent reworking, reforms to the EEG would drive Germany’s once-leading solar industry to collapse.

"Is the energy revolution a success story or is it a non-starter?” asked BSW-Solar chief executive Carsten Körnig. “This is the question the Bundestag must answer now. If the parliament does not significantly rework the draft law, the expansion of solar energy will shrink domestically to a fraction.

“It would be inconceivable if … the development of solar energy slows now just as it has become inexpensive.”

The charge has been proposed to spread the costs to the grid of an increasing amount of PV capacity being installed for self-consumption purposes in Germany as the country’s feed-in tariff is wound down.

But BSW Solar claims the levy as proposed would hit homeowners and small business disproportionally the hardest, while industry will escape with much lighter charges.

Under the proposed legislation, which would come into effect on 1 August if approved, owners of solar systems would be charged 50% of EEG green electricity surcharge. Tenants who buy electricity from PV systems supplied by their landlords will pay 100% of the surcharge, which is 6.24 cents per kilowatt hour.

Energy-intensive industries that generate their own power will pay only 15% of the surcharge, even if they generate electricity from fossil fuels.

Körnig said this situation was “unjust”. “Those who help the environment with solar power should not be punished,” he said.

BSW-Solar said that tomorrow, Saturday 10 May, around 10,000 people were expected to take to the streets in Berlin to protest against the EEG reforms.

The body also reiterated an earlier threat to join forces with consumer body VZBV to challenge the reforms in the Federal Constitutional Court, if necessary.