Recording of Wednesday, May 07, 2025 | The smarter E Europe Conferences 2025 | Language: English | Duration: 14:10 .

Germany's Energy Market Sees Surge in Negative Prices, Driving Strategic Battery Investments for PV Plants Amid Regulatory Challenges

The German electricity market is undergoing significant changes due to the increasing dominance of photovoltaic (PV) energy. In April, renewable sources like PV and wind often met Germany's demand, resulting in frequent negative spot prices—sometimes reaching minus 100 euros per megawatt hour. This trend has grown over recent years; for example, there were about 70 hours with negative pricing in 2022 compared to approximately 460 recently observed. Operators are adapting by considering retrofitting existing PV plants with batteries or co-locating them alongside new installations to enhance flexibility and profitability amid fluctuating market values for PV-generated electricity. Battery storage offers additional opportunities: charging through solar generation preserves some subsidy eligibility while using grid power maximizes revenue potential despite forfeiting certain incentives depending on specific circumstances faced by asset owners across varying timelines within this evolving landscape. However, a bottleneck exists as Distribution System Operators currently reject requests for grid electricity withdrawal at these sites—a situation that might change with anticipated regulatory adjustments next year.

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Speaker

Kai Becker
Chief Development Officer
Energy2Market
Germany

Talk of session: Hybrid PV Power Plants II: Business Models, Economics & Case Studies

The profitability of hybrid PV power plants has improved significantly. In addition to steep cost declines in solar and storage solutions, evolving policy frameworks support a variety of business models for hybrid PV power plants to address flexibility needs. This includes merchant markets, PPAs, grid services and contracts for difference. In addition, some companies are requesting a 24/7 renewable energy supply that matches hourly supply and demand. This session will provide: Economic viability analysis of hybrid PV power plants Overview of viable business models for hybrid solar projects Case studies showcasing different technology combinations and market offerings Update on 24/7 renewable energy matching.

Further Talks of this session:

Welcome & Introduction

Speaker

Dr. Harry Wirth
Director, Division Power Solutions
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE
Germany

To Talk

Economics of Hybrid Solar and BESS in Germany

Speaker

Claudia Günther
Research Lead Northwestern Europe
Aurora Energy Research
Germany

To Talk

Impacts and Challenges of Flexible Hybrid Systems in Solar Plant Design Optimization and Yield Assessment

Speaker

Eduard Foved Johe
Yield Assessment and Performance Manager
Engie
Spain

To Talk

Unlocking Co-grid Potential: Addressing Grid Connection Scarcity Through Integrated RES + BESS

Speaker

Christian Folke
Head of Technology & Innovation
Uniper
Germany

To Talk

Lessons Learned With Hybrid Power Plants

Speaker

Claus Wattendrup
CEO
Vattenfall
Netherlands

To Talk

Panel Discussion

Speaker

To Talk