Regional electricity

In Germany, regional electricity refers to - at least partially - in the region, e.g. B. a federal state or a district or in the concession area of an energy supply company produced, sold and consumed electricity . Its origin is specifically defined in each case.

meaning

The term is used in the context of the energy transition as a contribution to the restructuring of the energy industry in the direction of decentralization and indicates the spatial proximity of electricity producers and electricity consumers. As a rule, the regional electricity from renewable energies and gas-operated combined heat and power plants is supplied by municipal or citizen-owned electricity supply companies, e.g. B. municipal utilities or citizens' energy cooperatives . The expansion of the share of regional electricity is accompanied by reduced requirements for the expansion of the high-voltage line network ( network development plan ) and more value creation on site. With the designation as regional electricity from renewable energy systems (regional green electricity labeling), the acceptance of the energy turnaround on site should be increased through transparency and regional added value . Such a label enables electricity consumers to better identify with such systems in their region. A higher level of acceptance can help ensure that areas for new systems are designated on site where the energy transition is taking place.

Regional green electricity labeling using regional evidence

Since the abolition of the green electricity privilege with the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) of 2014, electricity from renewable energies that is financially supported by the EEG cannot be directly marketed as green electricity to electricity customers due to the so-called double marketing ban. The EEG 2017 has defined regulations for regional certificates in § 79a. With its introduction on January 1, 2019, the regional evidence register (RNR) maintained by the Federal Environment Agency is the only relevant state instrument for verifying the regionality of electricity subsidized by the EEG market premium . To prove the regionality of electricity, the electricity producer and electricity consumer must be within a 50 km radius (completely or partially within the postcode-bound zone). The end consumer can see the regional part of his electricity on the electricity bill. Household customers ("non-privileged" customers) can only show regional electricity in the electricity labeling to the extent of the EEG share ("electricity from renewable energies, financed from the EEG surcharge") using a regional certificate (currently - as of 2020 - 55.61% of the purchased electricity). Therefore, for a regional green electricity product "100% green electricity from the region" must be procured for more than 140% (currently - as of 2020 - 155.61%) of the amount of electricity supplied. Since according to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) a profitable advantage arises from the regional green electricity marketing, the market premium for participating systems is reduced by 0.1 cents per kilowatt hour advertised.

Discussion of regional green electricity labeling

In the case of direct marketing using the market premium and thus the EEG subsidy, the electricity generated from renewable energies loses its "green electricity property" due to the double marketing ban. Electricity that was obtained from renewable energy in Germany and that uses market premiums must be made available to the electricity exchange and thus becomes “ gray electricity ”. It must not be labeled and certified as green electricity or green electricity. The term “regional electricity” is gaining importance in communication as an alternative to the term “green electricity”, but it must be defined specifically.

Electricity market players from the field of renewable energies therefore favor the development of their own green electricity market model, which should market green electricity, strictly separated from gray electricity on the exchange, in its own market. However, the BMWi has so far rejected these proposals and favors regional green electricity labeling using voluntary regional certificates of origin certified by the Federal Environment Agency . The certificates that have been in existence since 2013 will therefore be expanded to include a regional component. According to the ministry, no on-site interventions in regular electricity pricing should be possible and the EEG levy neutrality should be guaranteed.

With regional green electricity labeling, municipal utilities and regional energy providers have opportunities to actively advertise regional green electricity. This creates the opportunity for local companies and private individuals to support the energy transition by purchasing regional green electricity. What is superficially convincing, however, harbors other risks in addition to the danger of greenwashing : If there are no savings and profits from regional green electricity procurement, the support of the local population could decrease. The additional administrative effort due to the regional certificates of origin, which are administered by the Federal Environment Agency, the certificate trade and auditors, is also worth considering, in short: The complexity of the process cannot be understood without solid knowledge of the energy industry.

Regional green electricity labeling by means of "other direct marketing"

Other regional direct marketing is a business model for marketing electricity without feed-in tariffs in accordance with the EEG. The "other direct marketing" offers the advantage that the green electricity property is completely retained via guarantees of origin - but in most cases it does not cover costs and can only be realized thanks to oncoming contracts with local energy suppliers (municipal utilities, etc.). Providers of regional electricity tariffs must take into account that the production costs of electricity generated regionally in Germany from renewable energies are generally higher than the realizable exchange price or, at best, just about cost-covering (photovoltaics, wind energy on land). So that this electricity can be marketed at marketable prices without the EEG feed-in tariff, the producer or electricity trader can use various options for reducing components of the electricity price . Often green electricity from abroad, z. B. hydroelectric power from Scandinavia, Austria or Switzerland bought, so that the more expensive regionally generated electricity from renewable energies only z. B. makes up 25%.

Examples of regional green electricity

Several municipal utilities and energy cooperatives already offer tariffs for regional electricity from renewable energy systems. For example, the municipal utilities in the Steinfurt district in North Rhine-Westphalia offer regional electricity under the “Unser Landstrom” brand, which is essentially based on wind power from the district. Energy cooperatives in Thuringia and Bavaria market their electricity from regional renewable energy systems. Since the beginning of 2017, Thuringian rural electricity has been sold by the Bürgerwerke , whose electricity is certified as green electricity by the Green Electricity Label . In cooperation with currently (2019) around 100 regionally active energy cooperatives, the Bürgerwerke supply renewable electricity from solar, wind and water power as well as ecological gas from organic residues.

Critical appraisal

There is currently no standardized, recognized definition of "regional electricity" outside of the regional register. " The regional electricity products offered on the German market today vary greatly, for example with regard to their spatial range or the proportion of electricity actually generated regionally ... Regionality is usually taken into account through the proportional integration of systems into the balancing group from other direct marketing ... Others ... rely solely on a marketing effect through the regional reference in the name of the product (for example BerlinStrom from E.ON, Friesenenergie). There is currently no supplier of 100 percent regional electricity. "

Web links

Individual evidence

^ Federal Environment Agency: Regional evidence register (RNR). January 1, 2019, accessed May 16, 2020 .

↑ Wieland Lehnert, Christian Rühr, Miriam Vollmer, Matthias Puffe: Competition law for regional electricity products . Brief report. Ed .: Federal Environment Agency. 2018, ISSN 1862-4359 ( umweltbundesamt.de [PDF; 2.2 MB ]).

↑ "Electricity labeling" guide. Implementation aid for electricity supply companies, producers and suppliers of electricity on the provisions on electricity labeling. BDEW Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft eV, accessed on May 23, 2020 .

↑ What are the regional green electricity labeling and regional certificates? Retrieved May 23, 2020 .

↑ Christian Buchmüller: Regional green electricity labeling - a new business field for electricity suppliers? In: Journal of the Institute for Energy and Competition Law in the Municipal Economy (EWeRK) . tape May 16 , 2016, p. 301–306 ( nomos.de [PDF; 239 kB ]).

↑ Christian Maaß, Jannik Güldenberg, Juliane Mundt, Robert Werner, Markus Kahles: Theoretical foundation of regional green electricity labeling in Germany. Federal Environment Agency, June 2017, accessed on December 12, 2017 .

↑ Clean energy directly to the customer - with the green electricity market model. Retrieved July 24, 2017 .

↑ Regional green electricity labeling: Green electricity regional? Retrieved July 24, 2017 .

^ Lisa Conrads, Judith Litzenburger, Anna Katharina Meyer: The “Regional Green Electricity Labeling” - systemic effects and usability. In: EA paper. EnergieAgentur.NRW, July 5, 2016, accessed on July 24, 2017 .