ENERGY

Leaders in renewable energy are divided on whether Germany can reach its renewable energy goals

According to an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine, the CEOs of several renewable energy companies have conflicting views on whether or not Germany can achieve its targets for green electricity generation. The newspaper reports that Germany has set a goal of meeting 80% of its electricity consumption through renewable sources by 2030, but that leaders in the solar and wind industries, which will build and operate the necessary technologies, are uncertain as to whether new laws designed to facilitate the expansion of renewable energy will be enough to meet this target.

Vestas, the world’s largest wind turbine maker, told Frankfurter Allgemeine that it is “impressed by the German government’s drive” towards the energy transition, but that it is skeptical that the country would be able to meet its onshore and offshore wind ambitions. “The German government’s legislative proposals are heading the correct direction, but they need to be greatly enhanced in many locations,” IBC Solar CEO Udo Möhrstedt noted.

According to the article, Germany’s largest electricity producer, RWE, appreciates that despite many challenges, the government has set ambitious goals for the development of offshore wind farms. The CEO of an energy company, Stefan Dohler, agrees: “The resolve to demolish existing hurdles is recognisable.” But Frank May, CEO of Alterric, Germany’s largest operator of onshore wind farms, recently remarked, “the energy shift is losing speed.” The CEO of a wind turbine company, Jürgen Zeschky, said this: “Under the existing framework conditions, it does not appear realistic that the targets would be reached.” In addition, there is a shortage of factories, ports, ships, and experienced people, according to Siemens Gamesa Germany president Martin Gerhardt.

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To combat the climate issue and reduce its reliance on fossil fuel imports, Germany plans to rapidly expand the use of renewable energy sources by revising its essential energy laws. The coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and Free Democrats (FDP) proposed the “biggest energy policy reform in decades,” with the goal of freeing up new land for green power production, speeding up permit procedures, and massively increasing wind and solar additions, taking the rollout of wind and solar power “to a completely new level.”