German lead in renewables “cannot be caught up with” – French energy expert

Germany’s leading position in energy transition technologies and renewables is uncatchable for countries embarking on their own “Energiewende,” French energy expert Gerard Magnin says in an interview on Spiegel Online. The former board member of French energy heavyweight EDF and founder of sustainable energy network Energy Cities says France has boosted the share of wind and solar in its power system to 6 percent. In Germany, the share of wind and solar in total power consumption was at about 24 percent in 2017. “The German lead cannot be caught up with,” Magnin says. He argues that many people in France wrongly regard the German nuclear exit as an “irrational” reaction to the Fukushima nuclear disaster that only boosted the country’s reliance on coal. “Despite the closure of many nuclear plants, Germany has slightly reduced the share of coal,” he says. Magnin adds that while Germans on average pay significantly more for power than consumers in France, German households have a much lower electricity demand. “This is not mentioned here [in France],” he argues.

Read the interview in German here.

For background, read the article Gov advisors say Energiewende will only thrive in European framework and the factsheet Energiewende – Germany is not alone.