In short and in plain language
This post is about a fence that makes power. Solar panels sit between the posts in place of wood or glass. A garden firm can build such a fence.
In Lower Saxony such a fence may be up to 2 metres high with no permit. If it is higher, ask the building office first. Panels that stand free in the garden have other rules.
The firm digs the holes and sets the base and the posts. An electrician hooks up the power. Only an electrician may do that.
Then the client puts the system on an official list. There is one month to do this.
We build the page where a firm explains all of this.
A solar fence looks like a privacy screen and works like a small photovoltaic system: instead of slats or glass panels, the posts carry modules that generate electricity. For businesses that build fences this is an obvious offer, because most of the work lies in the line, the footings and the posts. The electrical part, on the other hand, is not something a landscaping firm may take on itself. This article sets out what building law says in Lower Saxony, where the line runs between fencing and electrical work, what has to be registered after commissioning, and how all of that becomes a service page that brings in enquiries with the right details.
Key takeaways
- In Lower Saxony a solar fence is an enclosure: no permit procedure up to 2 metres above ground level (NBauO, Annex No. 6.1) and no boundary distance up to 2 metres outside commercial and industrial areas (§ 5(8) sentence 1 NBauO).
- The figures of 3 metres in height and 9 metres in total length apply to free-standing solar installations (NBauO, Annex No. 2.3), such as a row of panels on the lawn. Applying them across the board to a solar fence on the boundary overlooks the separate rule for enclosures.
- Footings, posts and conduit are landscaping work. A panel field presents a closed surface to the wind, so foundations and post spacing follow the manufacturer's data and structural design, not the usual mesh fence.
- Apart from the grid operator, only an installation company listed in a grid operator's installer register may connect the system (§ 13(2) NAV). The landscaping firm names a fixed electrical partner for this.
- The operator registers the system in the market master data register within one month of commissioning (§ 5 MaStRV). This also applies to a plug-in solar device of up to 800 volt-amperes (§ 8(5a) EEG).
- The service page asks for length, orientation, height and the route to the house connection and states no yield figures. The electrical partner calculates the forecast after the joint site visit.
What a solar fence is and why it suits fencing work
The term means a fence whose panels consist wholly or partly of photovoltaic modules. Usually glass-glass modules are set vertically between posts; bifacial modules take in light on both sides. The fence remains what it was: boundary, privacy screen and windbreak. What is added is a system that feeds electricity into the household supply. For the client that is an argument a timber fence cannot offer. For the business it is a service in which its own work meets that of an electrical contractor, and that is exactly what the website has to explain: who does what.
Photovoltaics is no longer a niche topic in Germany. In 2025, 16.4 gigawatts (Bundesnetzagentur) of solar capacity were added, and by the end of the year a total of 117 gigawatts (Bundesnetzagentur) was installed. The Federal Network Agency registered around 430,000 (Bundesnetzagentur) plug-in solar systems, the so-called balcony power plants, in the market master data register in 2025. Anyone whose roof is already covered, or who cannot use it, looks for other surfaces, and the garden is close at hand. A fence that is due for replacement anyway is one such surface.
For a landscaping firm the division of work is what matters. Survey, boundary line, footings, posts, trench and restoring the surface are fencing work in the narrow sense. Anything that carries current, meaning cabling, inverter, connection to the household installation and commissioning, belongs in the hands of a qualified electrician. A business that draws this line clearly on its website and names a fixed partner for the electrical part can offer the solar fence as a complete service without attempting work it is not allowed to carry out. How fencing enquiries are pre-qualified with running metres and height is covered in the article on fencing and screening.
The 2-metre rule: a solar fence remains an enclosure
Under building law in Lower Saxony a solar fence is first of all an enclosure. The state building code lists enclosures in its annex as exempt from any permit procedure, expressly including those that are also used as a solar energy installation, as long as they are no higher than 2 metres (NBauO, Annex No. 6.1) above ground level. In the outer zone this applies only to an ancillary structure of a building with habitable rooms no more than 50 metres (NBauO, Annex No. 6.1) away. We have already covered the rule in two articles, the one on fencing and screening and in the overview of garden sheds, patio roofs and pools. What matters here is what it means for a fence with modules.
Einfriedungen, auch wenn diese zugleich einem weiteren Zweck dienen, insbesondere der Nutzung als Solarenergieanlage, nicht aber der Nutzung als Werbeanlage, mit nicht mehr als 2 m Höhe über der Geländeoberfläche nach § 5 Abs. 9, im Außenbereich nur als Nebenanlage eines höchstens 50 m entfernten Gebäudes mit Aufenthaltsräumen
For fencing work the rule has two consequences. First, height is measured from the natural ground level. An excavation is taken into account, while a fill counts only if it brings the ground level into line with that of the neighbouring plot (§ 5(9) NBauO). Anyone who raises the ground along the boundary during garden works and then sets the fence on top can therefore exceed the limit, even though the fence itself stays below it. Second, § 5 governs distance: enclosures, including those that also serve as a solar energy installation, need no boundary distance up to 2 metres (§ 5(8) sentence 1 NBauO) in height outside commercial and industrial areas. In commercial and industrial areas the limit is up to 3 metres (§ 5(8) sentence 1 NBauO), and towards a neighbouring plot outside such an area it is again 2 metres.
Above 2 metres the exemption as an enclosure ends. Whether a taller solar fence is permissible by some other route is not a question for the website but for the building authority in the individual case. One honest sentence is enough on the service page: we plan solar fences up to 2 metres high; if you want to build higher, clarify it with the building authority first, and we will supply the drawing and dimensions for that.
The distinction: a free-standing panel row with 3 and 9 metres
In conversations a different figure often comes up: 3 metres high and 9 metres long. It comes from a different number in the annex. Free-standing solar energy installations are exempt from the permit procedure at no more than 3 metres in height and no more than 9 metres in total length, except in the outer zone (NBauO, Annex No. 2.3). The FAQ catalogue on the building code explains that this concerns a row of modules that is usually up to 3 metres wide (FAQ catalogue NBauO), and that the individual plot is considered. An installation going beyond 9 metres would need a permit according to the catalogue (FAQ catalogue NBauO).
For distance, such installations follow a rule of their own. Solar energy installations that are not part of a building may stand at the boundary up to 3 metres high with no distance or with a distance reduced to as little as 1 metre (§ 5(8) sentence 4 NBauO), over no more than 9 metres per plot boundary and 15 metres per building plot in total (§ 5(8) sentence 5 NBauO). For enclosures that also serve as a solar energy installation, sentence 1 of the same provision names 2 metres specifically (§ 5(8) sentence 1 NBauO). Whether a taller solar fence can rely on sentence 4 or on No. 2.3 instead is not expressly settled by the wording; the building authority decides that in the individual case. Anyone offering a 3-metre solar fence as exempt across the board overlooks this open question and the limit of 9 metres in total length (NBauO, Annex No. 2.3). The comparison shows the difference at a glance.
| Feature | Solar fence on the boundary | Free-standing panel row |
|---|---|---|
| Classification | Enclosure that is also a solar energy installation | Solar energy installation, set up on its own |
| Exempt under | Annex No. 6.1 NBauO | Annex No. 2.3 letter b, double letter aa NBauO |
| Height | up to 2 m above ground level | up to 3 m |
| Length | not limited in No. 6.1 | up to 9 m in total per plot |
| Boundary distance | none up to 2 m outside commercial and industrial areas (§ 5(8) sentence 1) | none, or reduced to as little as 1 m, up to 3 m high, over no more than 9 m per boundary (§ 5(8) sentences 4 and 5) |
| Outer zone | only as an ancillary structure of a building with habitable rooms no more than 50 m away | not exempt under letter b |
Development plans and local rules still apply
Orientation: which boundary produces power
On a roof the planner chooses the pitch; on a fence the boundary sets the direction. Vertical modules receive sun from the side they face. If the boundary runs from north to south, that is on the east or west side of the plot, one face of the modules looks east and the other west. Bifacial modules then use the morning sun on one side and the afternoon and evening sun on the other. If the boundary runs from east to west, one face points south and the other north; the north face then receives mainly diffuse light.
In a garden, shade often matters more than orientation. A fence is low, and whatever rises above it takes away light: the neighbour's hedge, a tree, a garage, the client's own shed. Anyone who plans or maintains hedges and trees on the boundary knows the distances that apply; the article on boundary distances for trees and hedges summarises them. For the solar fence this means that the planting in front of and behind it belongs in the same plan, otherwise the yield will be overgrown within a few years.
- Orientation of the boundary, with one photo taken from the house and one from the boundary
- Trees, hedges and buildings that rise above the fence, on both sides of the boundary
- Surface in front of the fence, whether lawn, gravel or paving, because a light surface reflects more light onto the rear of the modules
- Length of the run and the route to the house connection or the sub-distribution board
- Access for cleaning and maintenance on both sides, including the neighbour's side
Yield figures do not belong on the service page as long as they have not been calculated for the specific location. The electrical partner prepares the forecast with the data from the site visit; the landscaping firm supplies dimensions, photos and the position of anything casting shade. A sentence such as “The yield depends on orientation and shading, and you will receive the forecast with the quote” is more honest than any average figure and comes across as more trustworthy to a cautious client.
Footings and posts: the landscaping service
A panel field is a closed surface. The wind acts on it as it does on an opaque privacy screen, not as on a mesh panel it can pass through. Post section, post spacing and foundations are therefore governed by the specifications of the fence or module manufacturer and, where the manufacturer requires one, by a structural calculation. Experience from mesh fencing cannot simply be transferred.
Foundations are the part a fencing business knows well: frost-proof point footings or screw foundations, depending on the ground and the manufacturer's data, posts plumb and in line so that the modules sit free of stress. A module does not forgive posts that lean after the first winter; glass breaks where timber would warp. Whoever sets the posts is therefore also responsible for whether the modules fit later. The questions about the ground that are asked with every fencing enquiry apply unchanged here, only with less tolerance.
Then there is the trench. Between the fence and the house there is usually a stretch of garden, and the cable needs a route. The landscaping firm digs the trench, lays conduit as specified by the electrical partner, records its position with photos and measurements, backfills and restores the lawn, paving or bed. The electrical contractor pulls and connects the cable itself. How excavation and disposal are set out properly in the quote is covered in the article on excavated soil and disposal in the quote.
Survey and boundary line
Record length, changes in level, boundary points and orientation. If the line is not settled, the client clarifies the boundary before the quote, not while the auger is running.
Footings
Point or screw foundations to the manufacturer's data, frost-proof. Their position follows the module grid, not the familiar post spacing of a mesh fence.
Posts and module grid
Set posts plumb and in line, mount the brackets to the manufacturer's data. Who inserts the modules is settled in the agreement with the electrical partner.
Cable trench and conduit
Trench from fence to house, conduit as specified by the electrical partner, position photographed before backfilling. The qualified electrician pulls and terminates the cable.
Surface and planting
Restore lawn, paving or beds and plan the planting so that it does not shade the fence in a few years. A light surface in front of the fence helps the rear side.
Documentation
Photos of footings, posts and conduit position before backfilling, with dimensions in the handover record. This helps with later garden work and with warranty questions.
The electrical partner: who may connect
As soon as current flows, the landscaping service ends. The Low Voltage Connection Ordinance is clear on this: apart from the grid operator, only an installation company listed in a grid operator's installer register may install, extend or modify the electrical installation behind the service fuse (§ 13(2) NAV). For the firm itself the accident prevention regulation applies as well: the employer must ensure that electrical installations are erected, modified and maintained only by a qualified electrician or under a qualified electrician's direction and supervision (DGUV Regulation 3, § 3(1)).
Die Arbeiten dürfen außer durch den Netzbetreiber nur durch ein in ein Installateurverzeichnis eines Netzbetreibers eingetragenes Installationsunternehmen durchgeführt werden; im Interesse des Anschlussnehmers darf der Netzbetreiber eine Eintragung in das Installateurverzeichnis nur von dem Nachweis einer ausreichenden fachlichen Qualifikation für die Durchführung der jeweiligen Arbeiten abhängig machen.
In practice this means the landscaping firm finds a local electrical contractor as a fixed partner and agrees the cooperation in advance. A joint site visit saves the client a second appointment, and the electrical partner sees for himself where the meter cabinet is and how long the route will be. For small systems the law makes connection easier: if installations with a total of no more than 30 kilowatts (§ 8(1) EEG) are located on a plot with an existing grid connection, its connection point counts as the most favourable one. For such installations the grid operator must send the result of its grid compatibility check, including a timetable for the connection, within one month (§ 8(7) EEG) of receiving the connection request at the latest.
A short solar fence made of a few modules can also be run as a plug-in solar device, meaning a device made up of a solar installation, inverter, connecting cable and plug for the final circuit (§ 3 no. 43 EEG). For such devices with a total installed capacity of up to 2 kilowatts and up to 800 volt-amperes of inverter output, operated behind the household's point of consumption (§ 8(5a) EEG), the grid operator may not demand any additional notifications; registration in the market master data register remains mandatory, however. A new outdoor socket or a dedicated circuit at the fence is still work on the household installation and belongs with the electrical partner. On the service page the distinction is worth making: plug-in solar on the fence as the small solution, the permanently connected solar fence as a system with planning.
What the partner agreement settles in advance fits on one page and saves many an argument on site later:
- Who issues the quote: one overall quote with a subcontractor, or two separate quotes that refer to each other.
- Which work each party takes on, down to who inserts the modules and who makes the plug connections.
- Dates and sequence: footings and trench first, conduit position agreed before backfilling, connection after mounting.
- Who notifies the grid operator and who helps the client with registration in the market master data register.
- Handover: a joint record with photos of footings, conduit position and connection.
- Warranty: who is responsible for foundations and posts, and who for modules, inverter and connection.
The last point is easily forgotten because it only matters years later. If a module breaks because a post has tilted, it must be clear whose work caused the damage. How differently the periods for structures and for works without structural character run in landscaping is shown in the article on warranty in landscaping.
Register, deadline and VAT
Commissioning starts a deadline that lies with the client. Operators must register their units in the market master data register within one month (§ 5 MaStRV) of commissioning. The operator is the client who uses the system, not the landscaping firm and not the electrical partner. That is exactly why the reminder belongs in the handover record: date of commissioning, deadline, who helps with the form. A client who misses the deadline will later be annoyed with the business that did not tell him.
For the invoice, VAT is the second point. The supply of solar modules together with the components essential for operation, and their installation, are subject to 0 percent (§ 12(3) UStG) VAT if the system is installed on or near dwellings. This condition is deemed to be met if the gross capacity according to the market master data register is no more than 30 kilowatts (peak) (§ 12(3) UStG). The tax administration expressly names the fence as an example of an installation on the plot of the dwelling (UStAE, section 12.18(3)).
What remains open is where photovoltaics ends and the fence begins. For solar carports and solar patio roofs the administration has drawn a line: the solar panels with their mounting, the essential components and the associated ancillary services qualify, while the primary substructure that serves the purpose of the carport or patio roof does not (UStAE, section 12.18(7)). There is no specific statement for fences. The obvious approach is to itemise footings, posts and fencing work separately from modules, mounting and connection, and to settle the allocation with the tax adviser before the first quote. How labour and material costs are separated properly on landscaping invoices is shown in the article on the section 35a tax relief.
No tax or legal advice
The service page for the solar fence
The solar fence gets its own subpage, linked from the fencing page and the service overview. On a general page for fences it would get lost, and the questions it raises are different: who connects it, what must be registered, how high may it be. How a website for fencing businesses is structured, into which such a page fits, is shown on our sector page; the overview of our services lists the other building blocks. The page presents the process in five steps, the way the client experiences it.
Enquiry with location and length
The client gives the length of the run, the orientation of the boundary, the desired height and the approximate route to the house connection. One photo from the house and one from the boundary save many follow-up questions at first contact.
Site visit with the electrical partner
Landscaper and electrical contractor inspect the run together: boundary points, ground, shade, meter cabinet, cable route. Afterwards it is clear whether a plug-in solar device or a fixed connection fits.
Quote in clear items
Fencing, footings and trench on one side, modules, mounting, inverter and connection on the other, each with a total price. The electrical partner's yield forecast is attached to the quote.
Construction in two stages
First footings, posts and conduit with photo records, then mounting and connection by the electrical partner. In between, the conduit position is agreed before the trench is backfilled.
Commissioning and handover
Commissioning by the qualified electrician, handover record with date, a reminder of the one-month deadline for the market master data register, and restoration of lawn, bed or paving.
The client gives the length of the run, the orientation of the boundary, the desired height and the approximate route to the house connection. One photo from the house and one from the boundary save many follow-up questions at first contact.
Landscaper and electrical contractor inspect the run together: boundary points, ground, shade, meter cabinet, cable route. Afterwards it is clear whether a plug-in solar device or a fixed connection fits.
Fencing, footings and trench on one side, modules, mounting, inverter and connection on the other, each with a total price. The electrical partner's yield forecast is attached to the quote.
First footings, posts and conduit with photo records, then mounting and connection by the electrical partner. In between, the conduit position is agreed before the trench is backfilled.
Commissioning by the qualified electrician, handover record with date, a reminder of the one-month deadline for the market master data register, and restoration of lawn, bed or paving.
The form asks for exactly these details: length, height, orientation, ground, distance to the house, existing fence and whether the client wants plug-in solar or a fixed connection. We have described how an enquiry form for landscapers that collects such details in advance is built. The page gives prices for the fencing as a range per running metre, with a note that modules and connection are quoted after the site visit. What applies to price information on a website is summarised in the article on prices and advertising claims.
Pictures carry the page more than text does. Your own photos are what is needed: footing before backfilling, the line of posts, the finished fence from both sides, the conduit in the trench. Stock photos of a solar park show a different service and raise the wrong expectations. How good shots succeed with a phone is described on our page about photos for your website; in the portfolio gallery the solar fence gets its own category as soon as the first project is finished.
Where solar fence pages go wrong
Three mistakes come easily on such pages. The first is height: “solar fences up to 3 metres without a permit” confuses the enclosure with the free-standing panel row. The second is the connection: phrases like “mounting and connection from a single source” without saying who connects leave open whether a registered electrician is involved. The third is figures: yield, savings and payback time as averages that were not calculated for any specific garden and that the client will later check against his own meter.
What works is a description of what the business actually does. It plans the fence up to 2 metres, sets footings and posts to the manufacturer's data, lays the cable route and works with a registered contractor for everything electrical, whom it names on the page. Add the reminder about the register and the deadline. That is less spectacular than a yield chart and precisely for that reason credible, because every sentence can be delivered at the site visit.
Set up in autumn, build in spring
It makes sense to set up the page before the season, which means now in autumn. Clients have time for planning in autumn and winter, site visits fall into a quieter period for the business, and footings can be ordered as soon as the ground allows. Whoever shows the solar fence on the website now collects enquiries for the spring instead of receiving them in April, when the crews are fully booked. How topics can be spread across the year on the website is shown in our seasonal planning for your website.
The solar fence fits alongside other services that bring technology into the garden. Installing a heat pump in the garden follows the same pattern of footing, trench and partner trade; the robotic mower service shows how a device in the garden becomes a year-round service. A business offering several such services bundles them in the service overview and links them to each other, so that a client who comes for the fence finds the other offers.
We build service pages like this one as part of a website for fencing and landscaping businesses: with a clear division between your own work and the partner trade, with the legal position and its reference, and with a form that collects the details for the site visit in advance. We answer questions about this via the contact page, and further articles on service pages in landscaping are in the blog.
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