Energy industry calls for fixing ambitious expansion path in reform of Germany's renewables act

German energy industry association BDEW says a steady expansion of renewable power capacity is necessary for the country to reach its 2030 climate target. According to the energy industry lobby group, adding 5 gigawatts (GW) of solar and 3.7 GW of onshore wind power per year would be necessary for Germany to stay on track. “Renewables have long been of decisive importance for Germany as a business location. […] To reach the climate targets, we finally need a roadmap for the further expansion of renewables,” said BDEW head Kerstin Andreae in a press release. She also called for specific expansion pathways for each renewable energy type under the government’s planned Renewable Energy Act (EEG) reform. These would have to be ambitious but flexible enough to adapt to changing conditions. At the same time, the government has to find ways to ensure that renewables facilities that stop receiving fixed feed-in tariffs after a 20-year period continue to be economic. Andreae said that power consumption would rise with more e-mobility and a growing demand for green hydrogen in industry. Germany still has “immense unused potential for land” for both solar and wind parks, she added.

The government has set the goal of covering 65 percent of Germany’s power consumption in 2030 with renewables. The economy ministry is currently drafting a reform of the country’s key renewables legislation, the EEG, to ensure that this target can be reached. A spokesperson said on 24 August that the ministry would present a first draft “very soon”, without giving a date. The federal cabinet is currently scheduled to adopt the EEG reform on 23 September, according to planning seen by Clean Energy Wire.