The Federal Network Agency has set the bid submission deadline for the 2026 innovation auction to September 1, 2026. The auction volume is 475,000 kilowatts, with a maximum price of 7.13 cents per kilowatt-hour. Bids must be received by 24:00 at the gate of the Federal Network Agency in Bonn. The auction is aimed at system combinations that link solar, wind, biomass, geothermal or hydroelectric plants with energy storage.
Volume and Framework Conditions
The total auction volume for 2026 is 950 megawatts and is divided equally between two bid submission deadlines. The Federal Network Agency has not reduced the volume under § 28e para. 5 EEG. Each bid requires separate security; if a guarantee is submitted, it must be submitted separately for each bid.
Since 2021, innovation auctions have allowed bids for cross-technology projects. The goal is to combine renewable energy sources with storage technologies and thus improve grid integration. For electrical contractors who install photovoltaic systems, the combination with storage and possibly wind or biomass plants opens up new business opportunities – particularly for commercial projects and energy communities.
Solar Package I: State Aid Approval Still Pending
The Solar Package I introduced various changes for solar systems that also apply to system combinations with a solar component. However, some of these regulations still require state aid approval from the European Commission. Until approval is granted, the regulations in the version applicable as of May 15, 2024 must be applied.
Specifically, this affects the maximum bid volume for the solar component: Solar Package I provides for 50 megawatts. If approval is not granted by August 31, 2026, the previous limit of 20 megawatts will remain. This uncertainty complicates project planning for larger solar projects that are to be submitted as part of a system combination.
Solar Ground-Mounted Systems on Agricultural Land Permitted
For this bid submission deadline, bids with solar ground-mounted systems on agricultural land may be submitted. Eligibility is tied to a threshold: bids cannot be submitted if ground-mounted systems on agricultural land registered in the Core Master Data Register up to three months before the bid submission deadline with commissioning from January 1, 2023 onwards exceed 80 gigawatts of installed capacity.
As of the registration date of May 31, 2026, the determined installed capacity was 19.0 gigawatts. This leaves sufficient room. Bids on arable and grassland in disadvantaged areas can also be considered in all federal states. At the time of the announcement, no state government had issued a corresponding ordinance and no notifications of exceeding a trigger threshold had been made.
Deadlines for Permits and Registration
Wind and biomass plants are subject to strict lead times. Permits for wind energy or biomass plants must be granted by August 4, 2026 – four weeks before the bid submission deadline – and registered in the Core Master Data Register. Solar systems, storage, geothermal or hydroelectric plants must be registered as a project by the bid submission deadline.
Registration of energy storage and photovoltaic systems via the Core Master Data Register is now routine for electrical contractors. However, deadlines in system combinations should be planned early, as coordinating multiple technologies means additional administrative effort.
Format Requirements and Exclusion Risks
The Federal Network Agency specifies binding format requirements. Bids that do not comply with these requirements will be excluded from the award procedure. The required forms must be filled out using a PDF reader program; handwritten entries do not meet the format requirements. Only the forms for the current bid submission deadline may be used. Deviating forms are not permitted.
Documents to be submitted include, among other things, bid submission, guarantee, contact details of the authorized representative, location information for system combinations, and declarations regarding the permit holder. A separate security must be provided for each bid.
Grid Charges and Financing
Due to inquiries from potential bidders, the Federal Network Agency points out that participants in this auction will not yet be charged grid charges with a financing function – so-called capacity charges – as referred to in the orientation points for feed-in operator participation of February 17, 2026. All further questions will be decided as part of the regulatory process for the general grid charge system (AgNes).
This clarification is relevant for project developers, as the future grid charge system will have an impact on the economic viability of feed-in projects. Particularly for larger system combinations, grid connection costs and future charges can become a significant cost factor.
Bidirectional Charging and System Combinations
Innovation auctions aim to increase flexibility in the electricity system. System combinations with storage can buffer generation peaks and ease grid bottlenecks. In this context, bidirectional charging is also becoming increasingly important: electric vehicles can in future be integrated as mobile storage into such systems and store surpluses from photovoltaic or wind power plants.
For electrical contractors who already install energy management systems, the combination of stationary storage with bidirectional charging infrastructure opens up new integration possibilities. The technical foundations for this are being developed in current standards and pilot projects such as the partnership between Solarwatt and BMW for vehicle-to-home.
Further Information
Detailed information about the auction and all forms are available on the website of the Federal Network Agency. Bidders should carefully review the format requirements and meet deadlines. For questions about the grid charge system, the authority refers to the ongoing AgNes regulatory process.
Innovation auctions are a central instrument of the energy transition and offer opportunities for project developers, system builders and electrical contractors who plan and implement complex renewable energy systems. Those who implement system combinations should keep an eye on regulatory framework conditions such as ongoing EEG amendments in addition to technical requirements.
