As of: December 2008

General information - Government funding

Information about all aspects of renewable energies

Do you have any questions on renewable energies, the various technologies, support for renewable energies or are you looking for general information on the topic?

The contacts listed below will be glad to assist you:

Energy hotline:

The energy hotline of the Germany Energy Agency (dena) will answer your questions free of charge 24 hours a day every day of the year. Call 0800 736 734 to receive information on wind or solar energy, biomass or support programmes from a team of experts. Information is also available on efficient use of energy with regard to construction and electricity, and on combined heat and power generation. Dena's information portal, which offers information on many different aspects of energy, including renewables, is available at www.thema-energie.de.

BINE information service – support information for private investors:

Take advantage of the online support information offer of the BINE Informationsdienst des Fachinformationszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH. The Internet portal on energy support provides the current programmes for your home. Find support programmes suited to your home and your needs! Take advantage of public support in form of grants or advantageous credit offers. In addition you will find advice on how to apply for support successfully at www.energiefoerderung.info.

Do you have any other questions?

• Support hotline (weekdays from 9 am to noon): 0228 / 9 23 79 - 14
• You may also send your question about public support to BINE information service here.

Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) of 25 October 2008:

The new EEG will enter into force on 1 January 2009. Information about the new EEG is available here.

Support programmes:

If you have any questions about the support programmes below, please contact the respective institution directly.

1. Guidelines on the funding of measures for the use of renewable energies / market incentive programme

The Federal Environment Ministry issues the guidelines on the funding of measures for the use of renewable energies, also referred to as the market incentive programme. Within the framework of the market incentive programme you may apply for an investment grant or a long-term low-interest loan with a repayment grant.

The guidelines on the funding of measures for the use of renewable energies are available here (in German).

If you have specific questions about the market incentive programme regarding the application for an investment grant, please send your inquiry directly to the Federal Office for Economics and Export Control (BAFA) in Eschborn, which also processes and decides on applications.

If you have any questions about applying for low-interest loans of the KfW Förderbank, please send your inquiry directly to the KfW or any other bank of your choice.

BAFA will answer any questions on the following topics

• What measures are funded?
• How do I apply?
• Where can I get application forms?

Please visit the Federal Office's website at www.bafa.de and click on the link Energy and then on Renewable Energies.

If you have any other questions, you may contact the Federal Office by

Telephone: 06196 - 908-625
Fax: 06196 - 908-800
or by using the contact form on BAFA's website.

If you have any questions regarding which measures are eligible for low-interest loans, please contact the KfW Förderbank. You may also read, download or print out the guidelines here (in German).

Information on funding prerequisites, the application process and funding conditions are also available at the KfW Förderbank website.

If you decide on applying for a loan from KfW to finance an investment measure, you may contact any bank of your choice including your local bank.

2. Other support programmes

There are other programmes which support measures for the use of renewable energies.

Information on programmes for investment measures on your home or rented out residential buildings, which also include measures for the use of renewable energies, is available from the KfW Förderbank. Information on environmental protection programmes by the KfW Förderbank, including support for measures for the use of renewable energies in companies, is available here.

Additional information and advice is provided by the KfW Förderbank (sections Service and Advice). You may also call the KfW Förderbank's information centre at 01801/33557 (3.9 cents per minute via the Deutsche Telekom network, tariffs for mobile phone calls may differ).

The support data base set up by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology provides information on other support opportunities. It includes all programmes at the national, Länder and EU level. Click here to be redirected to the data base.

The BMU's brochure "Fördergeld für Energieeffizienz und erneuerbare Energien" offers information on the numerous support measures offered by the EU, Germany, the Länder, municipalities and utility companies, which aim for sustainable energy supply. The brochure is available here (German only).

Our advice: If you are a private investor or own your own home, you may want to visit the KfW Förderbankwebpage on Housing Construction. This page will give you an overview and detailed information on programmes to assist you in financing investments in your home.