Commerz Real welcomes the planned Economic Development Act, the draft of which was approved by the Bundesrat on 30 January 2026. As Commerzbank’s real assets subsidiary announced, the draft is an important step towards the energy transition in Germany and a milestone in the further development of the asset class of open-ended real estate funds. For the first time, the law that has now been passed provides that they may invest up to 15 percent of their value in plants for the generation, conversion, transport or storage of electricity or heat from renewable energies. This should also be possible if there is no direct, structural connection to a building. The operation of so-called rooftop systems or charging infrastructure should also be permitted. None of this has been possible so far.
“With the promulgation of the law, we will use our many years of know-how in the field of renewable energies to exploit the new opportunities for us as quickly as possible,” says Mario Schüttauf, fund manager of Commerz Real’s open-ended real estate fund Hausinvest. Commerz Real has been investing in solar energy since 2005 and in wind turbines and other energy infrastructure segments since 2016. The company currently manages more than 50 solar power plants and over 40 onshore and offshore wind farms with a total nominal output of over 1.5 gigawatts for private and institutional investors in Germany and Europe.
“In the medium to long term, our goal is to supply the properties in the portfolio with electricity ourselves,” emphasizes Schüttauf. This could then be offered to tenants at favourable conditions, which in turn would increase the attractiveness of the properties for potential users and could have a positive effect on the valuation. “And our investors will ultimately benefit from this,” Schüttauf is certain.
