Tenant electricity expansion lags behind expectations - econ min

The expansion of renewable electricity production in German apartment buildings – called 'tenant electricity' – has not lived up to the federal government's expectations, reports Tagesschau. "Unfortunately, the added capacity in the area of tenant electricity has so far fallen short of expectations," said economy minister Peter Altmaier. By July 2019, only 700 facilities supplied tenants with electricity from their own rooftops, according to data by the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA). A 2017 study commissioned by the economy ministry, however, had said up to 3.8 million apartments could be supplied with solar PV tenant electricity in Germany. The solar industry had called the relevant law, introduced in 2017, "too complex, and not fit to unleash a solar energy transition in inner cities."

As land area for renewable power installations becomes scarce, German states have called for measures to make it easier to generate green power in cities. Tenant electricity was meant to encourage landlords to install solar panels and offer their tenants cheap, locally produced power, but the plan has instead been criticised from the onset for being ineffective and unfair.