Draft law shows that Germany wants renewable energy firms to pay for grid connections.

According to a draft of a law, the German government intends to charge renewables companies for connecting to the electric grid in order to meet 'the rapid?demand? for expansion.

The move, which was first reported by Spiegel magazine, would replace the current ?system where companies are allowed to connect to the ?grid on a first-come-first-served basis. The draft law text by the Economy and Energy Ministry stated that "Connecting generation and storage facilities to the electricity grid faces ever greater challenges."

This is due to the sheer volume of grid connection requests facing grid operators in Germany. The ongoing flood of large-scale storage system applications?overloads grid operators and blocks other grid connection applicants."

Germany is one of the European countries that are pushing forward with a green agenda despite increasing criticism from U.S. president Donald Trump.

Last year, wind and solar energy produced more electricity than fossil fuels for the first ever in the European Union.

The draft law is designed to encourage construction at grid-friendly locations. (Reporting and writing by Markus Wacket, editing by Ludwig Burger).

(source: Reuters)