Energy sector and opposition call for speedy renewables expansion as Germany awaits govt “reality check”

Germany’s energy industry and Green Party lawmakers have emphasised the need for a continued speedy expansion of wind and solar electricity as stakeholders are eagerly awaiting the new government’s energy transition monitoring report.

“The expansion of renewable energies is a success story,” said Kerstin Andreae, chairwoman of energy industry association BDEW. “We must not slow down now, because we need more renewable energy in the future – for electricity supply, heating, transport and industry.”

Germany's new government is reviewing key pillars of the country's energy transition in a highly anticipated monitoring report that could reshape the country's path to climate neutrality. The economy ministry says the "reality check" is needed to rein in rising energy system costs and align grid expansion with the rollout of renewables, while critics warn the report risks undermining climate targets, slowing renewables expansion, and prolonging reliance on fossil fuels.

The BDEW said that Germany added a record 20 gigawatts (GW) of renewable electricity capacity last year (17 GW solar photovoltaics [PV], 3.3 GW onshore wind). However, to reach current capacity targets for 2030, annual additions would have to reach 19 GW for solar PV and 12 GW for wind power (total onshore and offshore). This had to be better aligned with grid and storage expansion, Andreae said.

In a position paper, the Greens’ parliamentary group called for a “turbocharged” energy transition and demanded that the government uphold feed-in support for new private solar PV installations, which economy minister Katherina Reiche had said was no longer needed. The Greens also said the government should provide state funding to put solar panels on “all child care facilities, schools and elderly homes.” It also said the economy ministry had to come up with a plan on how to speed up the smart meter rollout and the wider digitalisation of the energy system.