Germany's planned EEG reform could mark one of the most significant shifts in the solar industry's business model since the introduction of competitive tenders. While photovoltaic projects have traditionally focused on maximizing energy yield, future success may increasingly depend on flexibility, storage integration, and the ability to respond intelligently to market and grid signals.
For project developers, investors, and asset owners, this raises fundamental questions: Will pure generation assets remain competitive? How important will battery storage become? And what type of projects will thrive under the new framework?
We spoke with Matthieu Dreier, Head of Sales DACH & Benelux and Strategy at KACO new energy, about the changing economics of solar projects and why he believes the industry is entering the age of integrated energy systems.*
Many experts describe the EEG reform as a fundamental paradigm shift. Do you agree?
Absolutely. If I had to summarize the change in a single sentence, it would be this: the most valuable kilowatt-hour is no longer the one that is generated, but the one that is available exactly when the grid, the market, and consumers need it.
That changes the way projects are designed. Solar plants can no longer be viewed as isolated generation assets. Production, storage, consumption, grid access, and energy trading increasingly need to function as parts of one coordinated system. In many ways, that systems perspective is the central theme running through the current legislative proposal.
What risks do companies face if they continue planning projects according to yesterday's rules?
Many projects are still evaluated primarily on installed PV capacity, annual yield, and average electricity prices. Those metrics remain important, but they no longer tell the whole story.
Tomorrow's successful projects will be determined by different questions: When is the electricity generated? What is its market value at that moment? Can it be stored, consumed locally, or marketed flexibly? And how much power can actually be delivered through the available grid connection?
Developers who address these questions only after the technical design phase may end up optimizing the plant, while overlooking the economics of the overall project.
Battery storage has become one of the hottest topics in the industry. Why now?
Because storage introduces flexibility, and flexibility is becoming increasingly valuable.
A battery allows project owners to decouple generation from consumption. Energy can be stored when solar production is high and market prices are low, then dispatched when demand and prices increase. That creates opportunities across self-consumption, grid services, and energy trading.
Regulation is also moving in this direction. The MiSpeL framework adopted in October 2026, for example, opens additional opportunities for hybrid and multi-use storage applications.
Does that mean PV projects without batteries will become obsolete?
Not at all.
There are still many situations where standalone PV projects can perform very well economically, particularly where self-consumption is high, long-term PPAs are in place, or grid conditions are favorable.
What is changing is that flexibility itself is becoming a competitive asset. The key question is no longer whether a project includes storage, but how adaptable the overall energy system is.
How should developers assess whether a battery actually makes economic sense?
There is no universal answer because every project is different.
The outcome depends on factors such as generation and load profiles, grid connection capacity, electricity price volatility, market participation strategies, system efficiency, and battery degradation.
That is why detailed modelling has become essential. In our view, the objective should not be to build the largest possible battery. It should be to identify the storage capacity that maximizes the performance and profitability of the entire system.
Could grid access become more important than installed PV capacity?
In many projects, it already is.
Even the most efficient solar plant has limited value if the electricity cannot be exported or monetized effectively. That is why many of the current policy discussions focus on improving grid integration and increasing the utilization of existing connection capacity.
The grid connection point is no longer merely a technical consideration. It is becoming a strategic asset.
Which projects are best positioned to benefit from the reform?
The projects most likely to succeed will be those that do more than simply generate electricity.
That includes systems with high self-consumption rates, controllable loads, battery storage, advanced energy management platforms, and professional power marketing strategies. Co-location concepts and the shared use of existing grid infrastructure are also becoming increasingly attractive.
Installed capacity alone will become a less meaningful metric. The ability to deliver energy when it creates the highest value will matter far more.
Where do you currently see the greatest opportunities?
Commercial and industrial applications are particularly exciting, especially when solar generation is combined with storage. These projects allow operators to integrate self-consumption, peak-load management, EV charging, energy procurement, and market participation into a single business model.
At the utility scale, co-location concepts are equally interesting because they enable developers to unlock more value from existing infrastructure and grid access rights.
If you could give project developers just three recommendations for projects planned today for 2027 or 2028, what would they be?
First, start with the grid connection. Understand as early as possible what import and export capacities will be available over the long term.
Second, design for flexibility from day one. Storage, energy management, remote-control capabilities, and commercial optimization strategies should be integrated from the outset.
Third, evaluate multiple revenue scenarios. Don't limit feasibility studies to traditional EEG structures. Compare self-consumption models, PPAs, direct marketing strategies, and storage-based business cases to build a more resilient investment case.
Looking back in five years, what do you think will have surprised the industry most?
Probably the realization that project success is not determined by the cheapest module.
Increasingly, value is being created through software, controllability, and system integration. The interaction between inverter, battery, energy management systems, forecasting tools, and market participation will often have a greater impact on profitability than individual hardware components.
One final question: your outlook for the future in a single sentence?
The future belongs not to the energy system that generates the most electricity, but to the one that delivers electricity exactly when customers, markets, and grids need it.
*Disclaimer: At the time of this interview (November 2026), the EEG amendment is still undergoing the legislative process. The statements above are based on the current government proposal and the planned changes known at this stage.
About Matthieu Dreier
Matthieu Dreier has spent many years working at the intersection of photovoltaics, battery storage, and energy trading. As a specialist in integrated energy systems, he advises stakeholders on how evolving regulatory frameworks influence project design and investment decisions. He sees the planned EEG reform as a decisive step toward a more flexible, market-oriented energy landscape.
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