How much does solar panel insurance cost in Germany?

Guide figures from published German tariff examples and test results, September 2026.

German insurers do not price solar cover by the electricity you produce. They price it on the sum insured (Versicherungssumme), which is what it would cost to replace the whole system new: panels, inverter, mounting rails, cabling, scaffolding and the installer's labour. Not the depreciated value.

A percentage is then applied to that sum. The published examples work out at roughly EUR 3 to 9 a year per EUR 1,000 of system value, so about 0.3 to 0.9 percent. A 10 kWp array typically costs EUR 15,000 to 18,000 in Germany, which lands at EUR 80 to 130 a year for basic cover.

Kilowatt peak (Kilowatt Peak, kWp) is the rated output of the array under standard test conditions. It is on the quote from your installer and it is the figure every German price calculator asks for.

Output is the biggest lever, because it sets the sum insured. Next comes where the array sits: on the roof of your own house is the cheapest case, a ground-mounted array in the garden or on a field costs more, because theft and vandalism are easier there.

After that you set the price yourself. Your deductible (Selbstbeteiligung, the part of every claim you pay), loss of income cover, battery storage and a wallbox all move the premium noticeably. German insurance premiums also carry 19 percent insurance tax, which is normally already inside the prices quoted here.

There are three routes in Germany. One: the array is already inside your building insurance (Wohngebäudeversicherung), which costs nothing extra but usually covers only fire, storm, hail and escaping water. Two: you bolt on a solar module to that policy, starting at about EUR 35 a year. Three: you take a standalone solar policy, which is an all risks cover (Allgefahrendeckung).

The German consumer testing body Stiftung Warentest priced a 7 kWp array with a sum insured of EUR 20,000. The add-on to the building policy started at around EUR 35, while standalone tariffs that met their minimum standard cost EUR 65 to 137 a year.

So the gap is smaller than people expect. What matters is not the premium but the wording: the cheap add-on usually covers named perils only, while the standalone policy also pays for operating errors, marten bites, short circuits, theft and snow load.

Loss of income cover (Ertragsausfallversicherung) replaces the feed-in payment and the electricity you would have used yourself while the array stands idle after a covered loss. Insurers usually pay a fixed daily amount per kilowatt peak, often up to EUR 2.50.

That sounds small but adds up. With 10 kWp and a 60 day wait for a replacement inverter, that is up to EUR 1,500. The cover itself costs only about EUR 20 to 40 a year for a 12 month indemnity period, which makes it the best value item in the whole contract.

Check two numbers: the indemnity period in months, and the waiting period (Karenzzeit), the first days you carry yourself. A three day waiting period can wipe out the entire benefit on a short outage.

It pays off if you have battery storage, a ground-mounted array, a large feed-in share, or a building policy that only lists named perils. Above a system value of EUR 20,000 the extra premium is small compared with the risk.

You probably do not need it if the array is small, already fully named in your building policy, and that policy includes all risks. A plug-in balcony array (Balkonkraftwerk) worth a few hundred euros sits better in your contents insurance (Hausratversicherung) than in a standalone policy with a minimum premium.

To be blunt: on numbers alone, solar insurance is not a way to save money. At EUR 110 a year you pay about EUR 2,200 over 20 years. What you buy is certainty for the one hailstorm or fire that destroys the array in a single afternoon.