Posted on 02 Mar 2022
Germany wants to push forwards its target to have 100% renewable energy by 2035 instead of 2040, as it admits a true need to wean away from Russian natural gas reliance.
Economy minister Robert Habeck plans to speed the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) through parliament to bring it to force by 1 July. The legislation would help Germany reach 80% renewables by 2030 and 100% by 2035, thanks mainly to the boost in solar and wind power deployment.
The law will increase tender volumes for onshore wind from 2 gigawatts to 10 GW annually by 2027, and solar tenders from 5 GW to 20 GW by 2028. These levels should be maintained until 2035, the minister indicates.
The goal is to double Germany’s onshore wind capacity to 110 GW, increase offshore wind production to 30 GW and more than triple solar power generation to 200 GW by 2035, Kallanish reports.
The Russian-Ukrainian war has exposed Germany’s dependence on energy from Moscow and the urgent need for supply diversification. The major automotive manufacturer is also exiting nuclear power generation this year and phasing out coal power generation by 2030. Habeck, however, ensures coal and nuclear are no longer “alternatives for Germany.”
Germany has also approved the construction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals to allow of imports from different markets such as the US and Qatar. Yet, some experts warn Russian pipeline gas supply to Europe can’t be replaced by LNG tankers due to infrastructure bottlenecks.
Laszlo Varro, vp for global business environment at Shell, believes “breaking Europe’s dependency [on Russian gas] should not be treated as a casual talking point. It requires a comprehensive policy, investment and infrastructure effort to massively accelerate the deployment of all clean energy technologies.”
Source:Kallanish
