Feed-in tariff 2027: what the draft changes and what applies in 2026
A 10 kWp system connected by 31 December 2026 receives 7.70 ct/kWh for 20 years, about €13,309 in total. Under the draft, the same system connected in 2027 would get a transition payment for only 36 months, about €1,841.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Commissioning in 2026 or 2027: what the draft would change
Payment 2026, 20 years
€13,309
| Rate if commissioned in 2026 | 7.70 ct/kWh |
| Draft 2027: transition rate | 7.10 ct/kWh |
| Draft 2027: total for 36 months | €1,841 |
Draft, not in force; the 2027 rate is not yet set.
For the feed-in tariff (Einspeisevergütung) in 2027 there are two legal states to keep apart. The law in force is the EEG 2023: a rooftop system commissioned by 31 December 2026 receives the rate of its period for 20 years, currently 7.70 ct/kWh up to 10 kWp with surplus feed-in. The government draft of the EEG 2027 (Bundestag printed paper 21/7867 of 7 September 2026) has not been passed. It abolishes the fixed tariff for new systems and replaces it with a temporary transition payment: the reference value minus 1 cent, for at most 36 months, for systems below 50 kW commissioned in 2027, below 25 kW in 2028 and below 7 kW until 2030. After that they would have to sell through direct marketing or run without export. For a 10 kWp system on the national average, that means €13,309 over 20 years under current law against €1,841 over 3 years under the draft. Existing systems keep their rules.
Two legal states side by side
Anyone planning a rooftop system in autumn 2026 is working with two laws. One is in force: the EEG 2023 guarantees every system commissioned by 31 December 2026 the feed-in tariff of its period (section 21 EEG, section 48 EEG) for 20 years from commissioning, extended to 31 December of the last of those years (section 25 EEG). The other is a plan: the government draft of the EEG 2027 has been before the Bundestag since 7 September 2026 and is meant to take effect on 1 January 2027. Until it is passed, any figure in it may change. This page therefore calculates with current law and sets the draft beside it, never in its place.
What applies until the end of the year
For systems commissioned from 1 August 2026 to 31 December 2026, the Federal Network Agency publishes, for surplus feed-in, 7.70 ct/kWh for the first 10 kW, 6.66 ct/kWh for the part up to 40 kW and 5.44 ct/kWh above that. Rates fall by 1.0 % every six months. Without a smart meter, the export limit of the solar peak law applies; with one, payment stops at negative prices. Both are included in the figures below.
What the draft proposes for new systems
The core of the draft is the sentence in its explanatory memorandum that the fixed feed-in tariff for new systems will be abolished “consistently”. Direct marketing becomes the rule. Small systems get a bridge, the temporary transition payment (befristete Übergangszahlung) under section 21(1) sentence 1 no. 1 EEG 2027. It is calculated like the old tariff from the reference value, but with 1 cent deducted (section 53(1) of the draft) instead of today’s 0.4 cent. It is paid until the 36th calendar month after commissioning. Access narrows year by year:
| Commissioned | Transition payment for systems | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | below 50 kW | 36 months |
| 2028 | below 25 kW | 36 months |
| 2029 to 2030 | below 7 kW | 36 months |
| from 2031 | none | – |
The Federal Network Agency would be allowed to extend the transition phase for systems below 25 kW for a limited time if direct marketing cannot yet be done at reasonable cost. Systems below 25 kW that then export can receive a direct marketing bonus of 1.5 cents per kWh for at most 48 months (section 50c of the draft). Free acceptance remains for systems below 100 kW: the grid operator takes the power but pays nothing.
The comparison in euros
The table works out both routes on the national average, south 30°, for a household using 4,000 kWh. The 2027 reference value is unknown; the latest published one is assumed. Export volume is today’s; the draft’s stricter cap is not deducted.
| System | Export/year | Rate 2026 | Total 20 years | Draft rate | Total 36 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 kWp | 4,751 kWh | 7.70 ct/kWh | €7,316 | 7.10 ct/kWh | €1,012 |
| 10 kWp | 8,642 kWh | 7.70 ct/kWh | €13,309 | 7.10 ct/kWh | €1,841 |
| 15 kWp | 13,606 kWh | 7.35 ct/kWh | €20,010 | 6.75 ct/kWh | €2,757 |
| 30 kWp | 28,897 kWh | 7.01 ct/kWh | €40,495 | 6.41 ct/kWh | €5,554 |
The gap looks dramatic but needs context. After the transition payment ends, exported power still earns something if a direct marketer takes it; for the 10 kWp system the bonus would add about €130 a year. Most of the benefit comes from self-used power anyway: at 36.2 ct/kWh the same system saves about €574 a year, whatever the law says. That is why the draft pushes the calculation towards higher self-consumption and batteries, as its explanatory notes say openly.
Other points in the draft
- Cap: new rooftop systems below 100 kW export at most 50.0 % of their capacity permanently, even with a smart meter (section 9(2b) of the draft).
- Metering: the smart meter rollout would cover generators above 2 kW.
- Full feed-in: the higher rates for full feed-in systems end for new systems.
- Negative prices: zero payment at negative prices continues.
- Zero export: systems without export are freed from several technical duties but must still be entered in the Market Master Data Register; more under zero export.
How to plan around the uncertainty
For a decision in 2026, only what is certain by commissioning counts. If you connect by 31 December 2026, plan under current law; by its own section 100, the draft does not affect that system. If you can only connect in 2027, calculate cautiously: full self-consumption, export paid only for the transition period, zero after that. If the system pays on that basis, it is safe with any later marketing income too. Today’s rate for your size is in the feed-in tariff calculator.