Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW; German state-owned investment and development bank)

KfW Programme 270 – "Erneuerbare Energien Standard" is the central KfW subsidised loan for investments in renewable energy, covering technologies from rooftop photovoltaic systems and wind power to battery storage and heat networks. It enables low-interest financing for the generation of electricity, heat, or combined heat and power through CHP plants, as well as for measures that integrate renewable energy into the broader energy system. KfW 270 offers loans of up to €150 million per project, covering up to 100% of eligible investment costs, with repayment terms of up to 30 years and up to 5 initial interest-only years. The interest rate is fixed on the day of approval, and the programme is compatible with EEG feed-in tariffs.

Eligible applicants include private individuals who feed part of their generated electricity into the grid, companies of any size with a majority private-law structure, freelancers, farmers, contracting companies, non-profit organisations and cooperatives, and municipal associations. Notably, municipalities and municipal enterprises are excluded. On the technical side, funded installations must meet the requirements of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), including associated costs for planning, design, and installation. Procedurally, the application must be submitted through the applicant's own bank (Hausbank) before the project begins — that is, before installation work starts or a purchase contract is signed. The Hausbank conducts a credit assessment and determines the applicable interest rate based on the borrower's creditworthiness, and standard banking collateral is required, with the exact form and scope agreed upon between the applicant and their bank during credit negotiations.