From pv magazine Germany

German renewable energy company Trianel plans to offer mini power purchase agreements (PPAs) to residential PV system owners in Germany, starting from the second quarter of this year.

Solar array operators will sell their electricity to Trianel at a fixed price. Trianel will then sell that power on the energy futures market. This will ensure that customers get prices above the minimum feed-in tariff for rooftop PV, explained Bastian Wurm, head of direct marketing at Trianel.

For its fixed-price model, Trianel is targeting systems that have been excluded from the German incentive scheme for renewables. According to Wurm, old systems could use the fixed-price model to protect themselves against volatility on electricity markets. The continued operation of the systems can thus be better planned economically.

Trianel has been offering mini PPAs for wind energy, biogas plants and hydroelectric power projects since the end of 2021. Since then, Trianel has included 350MW of capacity in the short-term fixed price payment.

It defines the terms of the mini PPAs directly with the customer. They amount to three to six months on a rolling basis, although the company says it can also envisage longer terms of up to 12 months.

“The fixed prices supplement direct marketing and secure the proceeds via the futures markets,” said Lena Abt, a spokesperson for Trianel. “This means that our customers benefit from the higher prices on the futures markets and at the same time protect themselves against price declines.”

Customers will be able to switch between a fixed price model via mini PPAs, said Trianel.