Germany should aim for 95 percent emissions reduction by 2050 – dena head

The German government should quickly narrow down its mid-century greenhouse gas reduction goal because energy policy decisions in the here and now depend on it, said German Energy Agency (dena) head Andreas Kuhlmann. “My recommendation to the government is to aim for a 95 percent target,” otherwise climate protection in Germany could “fail dramatically”, Kuhlmann said at the press presentation of dena’s new energy transition study “Integrated Energiewende” in Berlin. The study compares four different scenarios in reaching the 80 or 95 percent climate targets by 2050. It concludes that a mix of technologies and renewable energy sources – including renewable power-based fuels – is more robust than betting largely on electrification, because existing infrastructure can be used and public acceptance is greater. On the whole, the transformation scenarios using a mix are up to 600 billion euros cheaper than those betting on intensive electrification, but Germany will be more dependend on imports of renewable power-based fuels. In all scenarios, renewable power production must more than quadruple by 2050. dena calls for more speed in energy efficiency measures and renewables expansion as well as the development of renewables-based hydrogen capacities of 15 gigawatt by 2030. Kuhlmann said that the Energiewende was more about investments in the future than costs in the present.

Find the press release in German here and the study in German here.

For background, read the CLEW factsheets How much does Germany’s energy transition cost? and Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions and climate targets, and Sector coupling - Shaping an integrated renewable energy system.