The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs is planning to lower the certification requirements for photovoltaic systems on commercial and industrial roofs from 135 kWp. The plan is to certify rooftop PV systems up to 500 kWp according to the more favorable and simpler low-voltage directive VDE AR-N 4105, provided they feed a maximum of 270 kilowatts of their output into the grid. This is intended to apply regardless of the voltage levels of the connections. The federal government and the German Solar Industry Association expect this significant simplification to provide a further investment boost in commercial rooftop photovoltaic systems.
The current 135 kWp limit for rooftop PV systems is set to be raised.
It was only when the 96-page VDE AR-N 4105 came into force in April 2018 that the validity of norms for voltage levels was de facto softened and the 135 kWp limit was introduced. As a result, the costly medium-voltage directive VDE AR-N 4110 has been considered the grid connection regulation for PV systems from 135 kWh onwards to this day. Such a certification quickly consumes several thousand euros and involves a high bureaucratic effort. Although PV systems from 135 kilowatts to 950 kilowatts have so far been sufficient with a simplified system certificate B according to VDE AR-N 4110, these disproportionately strict certification requirements lead to resentment among companies willing to invest and a bottleneck in applying for the respective grid connections. With the now presented draft regulations, the aim is to accelerate and simplify the entire process for systems up to 500 kWp.
High goals require simplified network connections and more speed
To meet the ambitious Goal to approach an annual increase of 22 gigawatts of solar power and to be able to expand to 215 gigawatts in Germany by 2030, this measure should be implemented as quickly as possible in the Electrical Properties Certification Ordinance (NELEV) and a new Technical Requirements Ordinance (TAV). This is intended to further boost demand from companies for photovoltaic systems on commercial and industrial rooftops. In this spirit, the NELEV was already adjusted at the end of July 2022. Operators of systems up to 950 kWp are entitled to provisional commissioning even without a certificate. However, only if they have system certificate B certified together with the declaration of conformity. This may take place up to 18 months after grid connection. This interim solution for simplified grid connections, which was introduced as part of the Energy Industry Act has decided, is still valid until 2025. It was able to alleviate the backlog in certifications somewhat, so that many PV systems completed by then have been allowed to go into operation since then.