How long do grid operators take to verify new PV installations? According to a recent analysis by GFK Solar, the national median is 80 days. This figure refers to the time taken by the grid operator to verify the register data, not the entire process up to the meter replacement. Nevertheless, there is a wide variation: whilst some grid operators complete the verification process within a day on average, elsewhere it takes almost a year.
Julius Pahmeier, founder and managing director of VREY, is familiar with these differences from his day-to-day work and explains what is important when implementing PV projects in blocks of flats:
“We can confirm from our own experience that there are significant differences between network operators. We are now active in more than 100 network areas and are encountering very different procedures, particularly when it comes to more complex metering concepts, such as those for communal building energy supply or tenant-generated electricity. This applies not only to the registration of PV systems, but also to changing the metering point operator or installing new meters, for example for heat pumps. In some cases, individual steps in the process take considerably longer than anticipated.”
In our view, the causes lie primarily in differing IT systems, processes that are not sufficiently standardised, and limited staff resources. Many network operators have to process a large number of enquiries whilst simultaneously implementing new requirements. Smaller municipal utilities, in particular, often still have little experience with certain metering concepts.
"In the long term, we need more standardised and digitised procedures. Until then, it is important to draw on existing experience and work with network operators to establish workable processes."
