Vattenfall researching possibilities to improve distribution of higher solar power costs

Energy company Vattenfall is investigating how it can improve distribution of the rising costs of excess solar power that is sent back to the grid. The energy supplier does not currently charge higher rates for households with solar panels.

"At this moment, we do not know what is the best path. We are open to all options. Like other energy suppliers, we are struggling with the rising costs of returned solar power," said a spokesperson.

He claimed that the extra costs are currently being passed on in the electricity prices for all customers, whether they have solar panels or not. "But because solar panel owners are allowed to offset their generated energy against their consumption, customers without solar panels pay the majority of the costs," the spokesperson reasoned.

Keuze.nl and Energievergelijk.nl reported that Vattenfall is charging new customers with solar panels more than customers without solar panels. The price comparison websites based this on a list of rates published on Vattenfall's website. However, the spokesperson said the list is incorrect and was caused by a technical error on the website. The comparison sites have changed their information since then.

It was announced earlier this week that the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has launched an investigation into the differences in prices between energy providers for homes with solar panels and homes without them. More and more energy companies are passing on the extra costs they incur to people with solar panels.

The market watchdog also ascertained that homes with solar panels cause higher costs for energy suppliers than homes without solar panels. The ACM found that suppliers can incur several hundreds of euros in additional costs per average customer.

One of the reasons for the costs is the higher purchasing fees for customers with solar panels. Contracts with clients also lead to extra costs because a supplier must purchase the electricity supplied at the rate agreed with the customer.