Direct marketing guide
Direct Marketing: Costs, Obligations and Safeguards for PV Operators
From 100 kWp, direct marketing is mandatory. Which tasks this entails, which ongoing and one-off costs arise and what safeguards you have through the sliding market premium — explained concisely and in practical terms.
Request adviceThe essentials first
Direct marketing in brief
Operators of PV systems with more than 100 kWp of installed capacity must sell their fed-in power via direct marketing — there is no longer a fixed feed-in tariff for this size class. The sale on the exchange is handled by a direct marketer; in addition you receive the sliding market premium, which secures your revenue level against fluctuating exchange prices.
In practice this means: manageable obligations (above all technical remote control and a contract with a direct marketer), low ongoing costs (the marketing fee) and a revenue level largely secured by the market premium. If you are looking for a concrete revenue and cost estimate, you'll find one in our direct marketing calculator.
Obligations
What you must fulfil as an operator in direct marketing:
- Direct marketing obligation from 100 kWp of installed capacity (new systems).
- Technical remote controllability of the system under § 10b EEG, so the direct marketer can call up and reduce feed-in.
- Contract with a direct marketer and assignment of the system to its balancing group.
- Registration and up-to-date master data in the Marktstammdatenregister (MaStR).
- A suitable metering concept for quarter-hourly recording of feed-in.
Costs
Which ongoing and one-off costs arise:
- Direct marketer's marketing fee — often a fixed monthly amount of around €80 to €250 depending on system size, or alternatively about 0.1–0.3 ct/kWh.
- One-off setup or registration fee with the direct marketer (order of magnitude around €200).
- Remote control technology under § 10b EEG — a one-off €1,500 to €3,000, depending on system and grid operator.
- Relative to total revenue, the ongoing cost block stays small; the obligation only marginally reduces the return.
Safeguards
Which protections you have as an operator:
- Sliding market premium: it lifts low exchange revenue to the level of the applicable value and thus secures your revenue level.
- The risk from the balancing group and balancing energy is carried by the direct marketer, not by you as the operator.
- The direct marketer can usually be changed at short notice (often monthly) — you are not tied in long-term.
- During periods of negative exchange electricity prices, the market premium is suspended (regulated by law; exact thresholds and transitional rules depend on the commissioning date).
Calculate revenue & costs
How much is left for your system?
In the direct marketing calculator you'll see a concrete worked example with solar market value, sliding market premium and marketing fee for two system sizes.
Go to the direct marketing calculatorFAQ
Costs, obligations & safeguards — frequently asked questions
From when does the direct marketing obligation apply?
For new systems with more than 100 kWp of installed capacity, subsidised direct marketing is mandatory. Smaller systems can switch voluntarily but are not required to.
What obligations do I have as an operator in direct marketing?
The key obligations are: a contract with a direct marketer, technical remote controllability of the system under § 10b EEG, assignment to a balancing group, up-to-date master data in the Marktstammdatenregister and a suitable metering concept for quarter-hourly recording of feed-in.
Which costs arise from direct marketing?
On an ongoing basis there is the direct marketer's marketing fee — often a fixed monthly amount of around €80 to €250 depending on system size, or alternatively about 0.1 to 0.3 ct/kWh. One-off costs include a setup fee (around €200) and the remote control technology under § 10b EEG (about €1,500 to €3,000).
What safeguards do I have as an operator?
The sliding market premium secures your revenue level against low exchange prices by topping up to the applicable value. The risk from the balancing group and balancing energy lies with the direct marketer. In addition, the direct marketer can usually be changed at short notice.
What happens during negative electricity prices?
During periods of negative exchange electricity prices, the market premium is suspended. The exact thresholds and transitional rules depend on the commissioning date of the system — we assess this for your system on a case-by-case basis.
Can I switch the direct marketer?
Yes. Contracts with direct marketers can usually be terminated at short notice, often monthly. You are not tied in long-term and can switch for better terms.
Set up direct marketing correctly
We support you from feasibility analysis through the technical connection to the commercial operation of your PV system.