Your solar power could earn you money

How selling to your neighbours works

The power does not run through a private cable to the neighbour but through the public grid as usual. Two smart meters record every quarter of an hour how much your system has left over and how much your buyer uses in the same quarter-hour. That amount the buyer buys from you, at a price you agree between yourselves. The rest of their power still comes from their normal supplier.

The best buyer is one who needs power during the day – when the sun shines. An office, a practice or a shop usually takes more than a household that is empty all day.

Common questions

Am I allowed to sell power to my neighbours?

Yes, since 1 June 2026. You must be in the same grid area, and you sign a contract that also states the price per kilowatt-hour. From 1 June 2028 it also works with the directly adjacent grid area. Businesses may buy if they are small or medium-sized. In the words of the law:

Abweichend von § 3 Nummer 70 ist ein Unternehmen nur dann Letztverbraucher im Sinne des Absatzes 1, wenn es sich um ein Kleinstunternehmen, ein kleines oder ein mittleres Unternehmen im Sinne des Artikels 2 des Anhangs der Empfehlung 2003/361/EG handelt.

In plain English: a business qualifies only if it is a micro, small or medium-sized enterprise as the EU defines it.

What does it cost – and which grid charges apply?

Because the power runs through the public grid, your buyer pays grid charges, levies and taxes on every kilowatt-hour bought – as with any supplier. The Solarenergie-Förderverein (SFV) works through an example with a 10 ct selling price, 9.5 ct grid charges, 3.01 ct levies and 3 ct for the service provider, and arrives at 30.36 ct per kilowatt-hour including VAT – on its own assumptions. On top comes a smart meter at both ends, with a one-off fee and an annual fee capped at what the Metering Point Operation Act treats as reasonable. The calculator adds both wherever they apply.

Do I have to pay tax on it?

VAT is added to the power sold. On electricity tax, the SFV writes Befreit, wenn in 4,5 km Radius & bis 2 MW Leistung. Sonst 2,01 ct/kWh – that is, no electricity tax within a 4.5 km radius for systems up to 2 MW, otherwise 2.01 ct/kWh. Whether and how your income is taxed depends on your situation – best checked with a tax adviser or your tax office.

Do I need a smart meter?

Yes – you and every buyer. The law requires generation and consumption to be measured every quarter of an hour. For larger systems (above 7 kW) a smart meter is compulsory anyway, so selling adds no meter cost.

How do I know whether we have the same grid operator?

It is on your electricity bills, usually as Netzbetreiber – not to be confused with your supplier. The same postcode does not automatically mean the same grid operator, so compare both bills.

What are the downsides?

• You give up the fixed feed-in tariff, because your system moves into direct marketing (Direktvermarktung).
• Your buyer pays grid charges and taxes – so their saving is often small.
• You need contracts, two smart meters and usually a service provider for the billing.
• The buyer must be told in advance that the rest of their power may cost more than a normal tariff:

dass die Kosten für den ergänzenden Strombezug über den durchschnittlichen Kosten eines Vertrages zur umfassenden Versorgung liegen können.

Who gains the most?

Systems that get little for exported power – above all those whose feed-in tariff has ended after 20 years or is about to. For older systems with a high tariff, selling usually only pays once that tariff ends – the calculator shows you from which year.

Does it work with balcony solar?

Hardly. A balcony system has little left over, and on our reading the simple balcony solar rule does not fit with selling. If you would rather keep more of your power, the balcony solar battery calculator works that out, and the full stromFit analysis looks at your whole household. How every number is produced: How stromFit calculates.

Sources

• Energiewirtschaftsgesetz, § 42c „Gemeinsame Nutzung elektrischer Energie aus Anlagen zur Erzeugung von Elektrizität aus erneuerbaren Energien“, read on 13 October 2026. Statute (in German)
• Solarenergie-Förderverein Deutschland (SFV), „Energy Sharing“ – Musterrechnung (eigene Annahmen), updated 1 October 2026, read on 13 October 2026. SFV page (in German)
• § 35 Absatz 1 Nummer 1 MsbG and § 30 Absatz 3 MsbG. § 35 MsbG, § 30 MsbG (in German)
• BDEW Standardlastprofile Strom (H0, G0–G6), read on 13 October 2026. BDEW (in German)

This page is not legal or tax advice. We are not lawyers.