Barns, stables, warehouses or machine sheds – many farms have large, partly unused roof areas. In the course of the solar obligation, which already applies in some German federal states and is under discussion in others, new agricultural buildings and roof renovations must also be equipped with solar systems in future. However, many farmers have already installed photovoltaic systems, regardless of this obligation.
When installing a PV system, many farmers are faced with the question of energy marketing – and how to refinance the investment costs. Even minor deviations in implementation can lead to different legal framework conditions. In addition to the classic surplus feed-in, so-called Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) can also be considered for local energy marketing.
Operator models for energy marketing
Essentially, PPAs are long-term electricity supply contracts that plant operators conclude with electricity traders or directly with buyers. There are different forms: with on-site PPAs, electricity is supplied directly on site. The system operator provides the solar electricity generated to just one customer within a grid interconnection point. As a rule, the system operator is not responsible for the remaining electricity supply and does not take over full electricity provision for any tenant.
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Special case of the PPA
This model is particularly suitable if there are so-called anchor tenants with very high consumption, namely tenants who attract customers or other tenants to the property. It is also suitable for tenants who are not interested in a full electricity supply due to existing framework electricity contracts. Tenant electricity in the commercial sector is a special case of the on-site PPA.
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Here, the residual electricity is also procured by the system operator and sold on to the tenants. In principle, the model is similar to the subsidised tenant electricity in the housing sector, but due to the simultaneity of production and consumption in the agricultural sector, it is much more attractive.
Electricity contracts with customers
Off-site PPAs, or classic PPAs, are electricity supply contracts with customers outside the household connection of the generation plant. These require intensive preparation and incur high initialisation costs. Plant operators can either conclude an electricity supply contract with the companies to be supplied or with an electricity trader who resells the electricity to consumers.
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Because the sale of solar electricity is a taxable activity, this can be a considerable expense. Additionally, certain legal framework conditions must be observed. Therefore, an alternative for owners of agricultural buildings is to lease the roof areas, for example to a photovoltaic plant operating company or to municipal utilities that offer tenant electricity.
Read in detail how this tenant electricity model is realised in the full article, featured in our special on PV for farmers. You can download the free special here. (su)
