Regulated energy sharing starts in Germany

29.05.2026

Source: E & M powernews

Producers and consumers will be able to share their electricity from June 1. However, market players do not initially expect widespread penetration.

Specific regulations for energy sharing will come into force in Germany for the first time on June 1. The legal basis for this is the new Section 42c of the Energy Industry Act. This provides a legal framework for sharing jointly generated electricity from renewable energies via the public grid.

An alliance of associations and companies sees the new regulations as an important step towards greater citizen participation in the energy transition, but still sees considerable hurdles to practical implementation. The alliance includes the Citizens' Energy Alliance, Bürgerwerke, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sonnenenergie, Green Planet Energy, Naturstrom and Elektrizitätswerke Schönau.

They believe that energy sharing can help to better link local generation and consumption structures. "The new regulations strengthen the participation of private households and can increase acceptance for the expansion of renewable energies," they say in a joint statement.

Bureaucratic framework conditions

This is how energy sharing works: To participate, electricity producers and consumers must be members of a joint energy community. The electricity must come from renewable energies and be generated and consumed within the same distribution grid. A smart meter is still required in order to record generation and consumption at the exact time and to allocate the electricity quantities to the balance sheet.

However, the participants still require an electricity supplier for the necessary residual electricity volumes. The energy community also organizes the allocation of electricity volumes, billing and other energy-related obligations.

However, the alliance of associations and companies is critical of the economic and bureaucratic framework conditions. The direct supply of participants with electricity from shared plants has so far been associated with additional requirements and is only economically viable to a limited extent. This reduces the attractiveness of many models. In the view of the alliance, simplified procedures should apply to locally generated and locally consumed electricity.

Launch of digital platform

The market players are therefore not expecting broad market penetration for the time being. Although numerous players are currently examining possible projects, many interested parties are still cautious due to the complexity and limited economic viability. "The coming months will show whether energy sharing will be accepted and implemented in practice."

Author: Stefan Sagmeister