With the aim of starting a new stage in the field of renewable energy, reaching climate goals, and reducing its dependence on fossil fuels, Germany approved, on Thursday, the largest renewable energy expansion plan in the country's history, as the legal package was approved in Parliament "Bundestag".
This decision confirms that Germany's continued operation of its coal plants is only relevant for the time being, especially in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine; It is a short-term solution to reduce imports from Russia, but Germany is accelerating the energy transition to renewable energy.
Key elements of the new legal package approved by the German parliament include new targets for 80 percent renewable energy by 2030, doubling Germany's onshore wind capacity to 115 gigawatts by 2030, and adding 10 gigawatts annually from 2025.
Expanding renewable generation capacity will also become a dominant public interest and a priority over other concerns, with 2 percent of Germany's land to be devoted to onshore wind energy by 2032 at the latest, among other decisions.
Contrary to what the government has proposed, the goal of “100 percent renewables” in the electricity grid by 2035 did not get a majority in Parliament; But achieving 80 percent by 2030 puts Germany on track to have 100 percent clean electricity by 2035.
The Group of Seven industrialized nations, under the German presidency, committed last week to decarbonize energy sectors by 2035.
The NGOs also welcomed the ambition of solar and wind energy, which is expected to be the backbone of the renewable energy plan; But there is opposition to funding biomass plants, given the associated emissions and biodiversity impacts.
This week, the Bundestag adopted a law to temporarily replace gas reserves with existing power plants (such as coal) for a limited period until March 31, 2024, in order to prepare for a possible end to the supply of Russian gas, which still covers 35 percent of Germany's energy consumption.