ENERGIEWENDE – ENERGY TRANSITION
Germany being a pioneer in the energy transition within the EU is continuously pushing for enhancing the energy transition, simultaneously reducing carbon footprint.
Germany’s Energy Strategy
Germany’s energy strategy (Energiewende) is a comprehensive plan to transition away from nuclear and fossil fuels towards a sustainable, renewable energy system. The goal is to achieve 100% renewable energy in electricity generation by 2035 and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The strategy also emphasizes energy efficiency improvements and reducing overall energy consumption.
Figure 1: Installed net power and trends in various energy sources development (source: climate energy wire, 2024 based on the data from UBA)
Core components of the energy transition strategy are as follows:
Germany, being a pioneer in renewable energies, is heavily investing and supporting individual initiatives (standalone systems, household systems, mobility, etc.) in rapid expansion of renewable energies. The energy transition strategy in the initial step phased out the nuclear energy successfully by achieving complete shutdown in the year 2023. Based on the success of complete shutdown of nuclear energy, the phasing out of energy from fossil fuels as a second major initiative, has already started. The downfall trend from fossil fuels in figure 1 can be clearly observed. The phasing out of coal is planned to be achieved by 2038. The energy transition, coupled with decarbonization, is planned to be achieved by 2050 with net zero greenhouse gas emissions. The strategy also incorporates the extensive development of efficient, affordable, competitive, secure production and supply of energy (both heat and electricity) to industries and households. The focus is on green technologies and green fuels including green hydrogen.