Opposition parties clash over pathway to Germany's 2030 renewables goal

At an event held by the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) on 27 June, parliamentarians from the Free Democratic Party (FDP), the Greens, and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) called the government’s climate and energy policy measures misguided. Member of Parliament Dr. Ingrid Nestle of the Greens argued that the measures in place imperil not only the achievement of Germany’s goal of sourcing 65 percent of its power consumption from renewables by 2030, but also the country’s overall emissions reduction targets. “I haven’t seen a single scenario” in which Germany meets its 2030 climate goal without boosting its renewable energy share to 65 percent, she said.
Criticising his Green counterparts’ support for bans on certain fuels and technologies, FDP parliamentarian Prof. Dr. Martin Neumann called for both an end to the renewable energy surcharge and a reorientation of Germany’s energy policy towards a more market-based and less prescriptive one. AfD MP Steffen Kotré, after calling into question mankind’s influence on the climate, argued that Germany’s move away from both nuclear energy and fossil fuels would cost the country billions of euros over the next decades. “The entire Energiewende has no concept behind it,” he said.

For background, read the factsheet Vote 2017: German parties’ energy & climate policy positions and the article First 100 days - German government in disarray neglects energy policy.