First, so the framing is right
What follows is general information. It is not investment advice, not tax advice and not a public offer to acquire financial instruments or investment products.
Whether and how the tax rules described apply in your case depends entirely on your individual situation and must be clarified with your tax adviser. We do not undertake that review, nor are we permitted to.
How a direct investment is structured
The sequence corresponds to acquiring an asset, not to subscribing to a fund.
Project selection
A specific project with a known site, known design and documented procedural status. You know which plant at which connection point is working for you.
Acquisition
What is acquired is either the plant itself or an interest in the project company (SPV). The two differ in tax and liability consequences; that choice belongs in advice, not on a website.
Construction
Payment usually follows milestones of project progress rather than being made in advance.
Operation and marketing
An energy management system dispatches the plant; a direct marketer places it on the markets. Operations, maintenance and settlement rest with us or our partners.
Revenue
Revenue arises from Arbitrage and, where applicable, balancing services. It moves with the Spread on the power market and is not guaranteed.
Where revenue comes from — and what it depends on
Storage earns on the difference between low and high power prices, less round-trip losses, grid fees, levies and marketing costs. Three quantities determine the outcome: the achievable Spread, the number of cycles per year and the marketing strategy.
All three are variable. The spread depends on solar and wind build-out, on weather and on the generation fleet; it can shift markedly within a year. Cycle count is capped by the manufacturer warranty. And the marketing strategy has to adapt to changed market conditions.
A growing storage fleet dampens the spread: the more storage exploits the same price differences, the smaller they become. Anyone modelling on the historical revenues of recent years is modelling the beginning of a development, not its course.
We therefore quote no revenue range here. Historical values are not a forecast, and a forecast would not be a serious statement in this format.
The tax mechanics
Three instruments of German income tax law can apply to business investments in movable assets. They are not storage-specific — they apply to fixed assets generally.
| Instrument | Effect | Conditions | Legal status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investment deduction (IAB), section 7g(1) EStG | Up to 50 percent of expected acquisition cost can be deducted before the investment is made. | Capped at EUR 200,000 per business; prior-year profit must not exceed EUR 200,000 (section 7g(6) EStG). Investment within the statutory period. | Applicable law1 |
| Special depreciation, section 7g(5) EStG | Up to 40 percent of acquisition cost in addition to regular depreciation. | Acquisition after 31 December 2023. Alongside depreciation under section 7(1) or 7(2) EStG. | Applicable law with no end date1 |
| Declining-balance depreciation, section 7(2) EStG | At most three times the straight-line rate, capped at 30 percent per year. | Movable fixed assets acquired between 1 July 2025 and 31 December 2027. | Time-limited2 |
Two clarifications, because sales material regularly gets them wrong. First: declining-balance depreciation is not a storage-specific rule; it applies to movable fixed assets generally. Second: whether the investment deduction and special depreciation can be combined without restriction is contested — part of the profession reads section 7a(4) EStG as a limitation. We do not present it as settled.
The tax effect is a deferral, not a permanent saving.
The investment deduction reduces the later depreciation base; special depreciation shifts depreciation volume into early years. What is not taxed today is taxed in later years. Presenting it otherwise does not describe the law.
Prerequisites, in full
All of these must be met. If one is missing, the mechanics described do not apply.
Tax
- Business income — section 7g EStG presupposes a business and is not open to private individuals without business activity
- Compliance with the prior-year profit limit of EUR 200,000 for the investment deduction
- Retention and use of the asset within the business in line with statutory requirements
- Support from a tax adviser — we cannot and may not undertake the review of your case
Commercial
- Willingness to hold the asset long term; storage projects are designed for twenty years and more
- Understanding that trading revenue moves with the market and is not promised
- Resilience to adverse market development — investment in energy infrastructure carries risk up to total loss of capital
- Clarity on the structure: acquiring the plant or an interest in a project company, with different consequences
Register interest
This form collects a non-binding expression of interest only. It is not a subscription and creates no entitlement to an offer.
We will come back to you with a view on whether and in what form a direct investment could suit your situation at all.
Legal notice
The information on this page serves general explanation of how direct investments in battery storage work and which tax rules bear on them.
It constitutes no investment advice, no tax advice and no public offer within the meaning of German securities prospectus or investment products law. An investment decision should never be made on the basis of this page alone.
Investments in energy infrastructure carry risk, including the risk of total loss of the capital employed. Statements on tax treatment reflect the legal position at the stated date; legislative change, changed administrative practice and case law can alter the assessment.
Only your tax adviser is responsible for the tax assessment of your individual case.
Sources
Sources last reconciled on
- Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de): Section 7g EStG – investment deduction amounts and special depreciation. As of 2024-01-01. Go to source
- Haufe (Erläuterung des Gesetzes für ein steuerliches Investitionssofortprogramm): Act for an immediate tax investment programme – declining-balance depreciation under section 7(2) EStG. As of 2025-07-19. Go to source