Tip: Webinar of the bne
Together with 16 other companies, we support the SonneSammeln initiative under the bne umbrella. On February 2, the bne, together with the German Association of Towns and Municipalities and the law firm Becker Büttner Held, presented the model contract for municipal participation in a webinar. With over 570 guests, mainly municipal representatives, the response was huge. Dr. Gerd Landsberg, CEO of the DStGB, and bne Managing Director Robert Busch emphasized in their introduction that more participation is of central importance for the acceptance of the energy transition. In the case of new solar parks, sums totaling 0.2 cents per kilowatt hour may be offered to the siting municipalities for the amount of electricity actually fed into the grid. On the part of the municipalities, this ensures annual, easily plannable and freely usable revenues.
Afterwards, attorney Jens Vollprecht (bbh) presented a model contract that is intended to make it easier for all players to apply municipal participation in a legally secure manner. The bne had published the model contract at the beginning of December 2021. The participation of siting municipalities applies both to subsidized solar parks, which are realized, for example, through the tenders of the EEG, and to solar parks that are implemented as PPA projects ("Power Purchase Agreement") without subsidies. "In order to ensure legal certainty for all parties involved, it is important to comply exactly with the requirements of § 6 EEG. Such an agreement on municipal participation in the operation of a solar park may only be concluded after the resolution of the development plan. A connection between financial support and approval should thus be excluded," Vollprecht emphasized.
We want to support citizens in their decision-making process with information, facts and practical examples on solar parks. At www.sonne-sammeln.de, interested parties can learn how solar parks can be planned in such a way that everyone benefits - citizens as well as municipalities, climate, environmental and nature conservation.
The recording of the presentation of the webinar on the model contract has been made available by the bne as a youtube video.