After 15 years of growth in this area, renewable energy today is indispensable in attaining a sustainable electricity and heating supply, thereby having a positive effect on resources and the environment. This form of energy is gradually becoming more and more significant. The rapid increase in energy supply brought about by the Renewable Energy Sources Act raises many legal problems in this respect.

For plant operators these problems particularly arise in the areas of conceptual design, licensing, financing and construction as well as grid connection and grid integration. Furthermore, after the commencement of operation, plant problems may arise, be it a wind farm (onshore, offshore), a biomass plant, a water power plant, a solar park or a geothermal facility. We provide advice in all of these areas. More and more municipalities (“Stadtwerke”) see the opportunities in operating such a plant. If you operate a grid or trade in electricity, we provide advice in relation to the numerous legal obligations arising under the Renewable Energy Sources Act. The rapid increase in renewable energy is not only a technical but also an economic challenge for grid operators. Questions surrounding the legal grid connection point are therefore disputed just as much as the question of who bears the costs for the construction measures necessary for grid integration. In this respect, we advise you in negotiations as well as before the courts. If you trade in electricity, you are subject to the nationwide equalisation scheme of the Renewable Sources Energy Act. We also provide expert advice in this area. Finally, we advise companies with high electricity consumption and other bulk purchasers in relation to problems associated with site networks.

Our clients include municipal utilities acting as grid operators, facility operators and electricity traders, many independent facility operators, planning and projecting companies, management companies and lending banks as well as companies with high electricity consumption. Providing advice at political level is also an important part of our practice.

Contact persons in this areaare Dr. Martin Altrock (Berlin) and Matthias Albrecht (Munich).