Germany needs to double renewables, halve coal & oil to reach 2030 climate targets – think tank

Germany will have to double its share of renewable power and cut its use of coal and oil by half to reach its official target of cutting CO₂ emissions by 55 percent by 2030, according to energy think tank Agora Energiewende*. The country must also use 30 percent less energy than today. “The climate targets are totally out of reach without giving efficiency a much higher priority,” said Agora director Patrick Graichen at a press conference.
In a 2030 “big picture” analysis, the think tank argues that Germany should step up its target for the roll-out of renewables to 60 percent of power consumption by 2030 compared to the current target of 55-60 percent by 2035. Because Germany will likely miss its 2020 emission targets, it must urgently take aim at the targets for 2030, said Graichen with reference to a coalition agreement expected after the autumn general elections. “If you want to achieve climate targets, you need to start ten years ahead of time.”

Find the paper in German here.

Like the Clean Energy Wire, Agora Energiewende is a project funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.