Government support for German energy research increases slightly in 2018
Clean Energy Wire
The German government supported research and development of modern technologies for the energy transition with 1.06 billion euros in 2018, a slight increase compared to 1.01 billion euros in 2017. The economy ministry’s Energy Research Report 2019 shows that 78 million euros were dedicated to solar PV research; 60 million euros to wind power; and 24 million euros to hydrogen fuel cell projects. About 75 million euros were spent on supporting energy efficiency in buildings and cities and 48 million euros on energy efficiency in industry and trade. “By promoting research and development, we are also specifically strengthening companies in Germany,” said economy minister Peter Altmaier in a press release. “Climate-friendly energy technologies are in demand worldwide and demand will continue to grow in the future.”
German engineers and researchers are at the forefront of developing new technologies to help the transition to a decarbonised economy. Some areas, such as reducing emissions from industrial processes, are difficult to find solutions for. They are seen as one of the greatest challenges in emissions reduction and still require intensive research to find low-carbon solutions, which the German environment ministry has set out to support financially. However, companies lament that new technologies are not being deployed because the existing regulatory framework does not offer viable business models.
