What do a solar and a wind farm have in common? Correct — they both need a grid connection (German: "Netzverknüpfungspunkt NVP").
Through the GridConnect platform by dvlp.energy, a solar park developer and a wind park operator have now found each other. The grid connection point originally assigned by the grid operator for the solar park was too far away. The wind park is closer, and its operator is interested in reducing operating costs by sharing the existing grid connection point.
In another example, a dvlp user was assigned a grid connection point at the high-voltage level, for which the project area was insufficient. Thanks to GridConnect, another developer was found who is developing areas just a few hundred meters away. Together, the high-voltage connection can now be realized economically.
These are two examples of partnerships formed during the current pilot phase of GridConnect. Of the nearly 30,000 projects registered in the dvlp web GIS platform, about 300 are already registered with GridConnect. Around 30% of these projects were matched with a potential partner project located less than 20 km away. The connected project developers are now exploring collaboration based on project stages and specific grid connection points.
Our blog post from February 2025 provides a detailed description of GridConnect. link
The shared use of grid connection points by different energy generation assets is key to further expanding renewable energy, especially as grid infrastructure becomes increasingly limited. Through jointly realized connections, investment costs can be reduced and planning times shortened.
With the amendment of the Energy Industry Act at the beginning of 2025, the legal framework for the shared use (Überbauung) of grid connection points was established. This further increases savings potential and enables new options for connecting generation facilities or storage systems (e.g., by using privately operated substations). The newly formulated §8 of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) governs the contractual arrangements with the grid operator through so-called flexible grid connection agreements. These can be designed as either static (plant may never feed in at nominal capacity) or dynamic (plant may not feed in at nominal capacity only during peak load times).
The distribution system operator N-Energie will be the first to offer dynamic grid connection agreements starting May 1, 2025, to allow additional generation facilities to connect to the already heavily utilized power grid. Starting in May, shared use will be a standard part of the technical grid connection assessment and offered to the connection applicant.
To qualify for a flexible grid connection, photovoltaic systems must also be combined with battery storage, be designed in an east-west orientation, or be intended for self-consumption only.
Similar models are currently being developed by many other grid operators.
