“Is the renewable surcharge of any use as a ‘price tag’ for the Energiewende?”

No other number in the energy sector politicises as much as the renewable energy surcharge consumers pay with their power bills, according to an article in renewable energy website euwid. But policymakers’ use of the surcharge as a ‘price tag’ for Germany’s energy transition is inappropriate because renewable payments are only one factor determining the surcharge. A rise in the surcharge does not necessarily indicate rising costs of renewable development, nor does it automatically imply rising power bills. “The renewable energy surcharge is in no way suitable as an indicator to evaluate policy options.” Next year’s renewable surcharge will be announced in mid-October, according to the article.

Read the article in German here.

For background, read the CLEW article Renewable energy levy set to rise in 2017 – think tank.