Germany unveils green push

New legislation aims to increase share of renewables to 80 percent by 2030

New German legislation promises to expedite the country's green-energy transition, by doubling renewable power capacity during the next eight years, and achieving 100-percent green electricity supply by 2035.

The nation's federal government has submitted a draft of its so-called Easter Package, which is a bundle of legislative measures aimed at developing renewables, including reforms to the country's Renewable Energy Act and its Off shore Wind Law.

The crisis in Ukraine has added extra impetus to the renewable energy transition, since Germany burns natural gas for around 15 percent of its electricity, with Russia the main supplier.

Finance Minister Christian Lindner recently referred to renewable power as "freedom energy".

Highlighting the need for reform, Germany's economy minister, Robert Habeck, said at a news conference the "climate crisis is coming to a head" and that the conflict in Ukraine "shows how important it is to phase out fossil fuels and promote the expansion of renewables".

The new legislation aims to increase the share of renewables in Germany's energy mix, from around 42 percent in 2021 to 80 percent in 2030. The package also commits Germany to sourcing all of its electricity from renewables by 2035. Previously, the German government had said this would be achieved "before 2040".

Wind energy will play a large part in the transition, with the aim of reaching 30 gigawatts of installed off shore wind capacity by 2030, and at least 70 gigawatts by 2045.

Onshore wind capacity is set to reach 115 gigawatts in 2030, according to the new legislation, compared to the current 56 gigawatts.

Germany currently has around 7.7 gigawatts of installed off shore wind capacity, in third place behind the United Kingdom and China, though development has slowed in recent years.

The nation added 219 megawatts of offshore wind power in 2020, and no off shore wind turbines last year. Germany also issued fewer onshore wind permits in the first quarter of this year than in the same period last year.

Habeck, the economy minister, told reporters on Tuesday this low growth in the wind power sector is at odds with the proposed reforms in the Easter Package.

"We want to change that," he said. "It is unsatisfactory."

The package was largely welcomed by green-energy industry players and environmentalists.

Jurgen Zeschky, chief executive of ENERCON, a German supplier of wind energy converters, said his company would "support this undertaking to the best of our abilities".

"After years of a slumping market, a wind energy renaissance in Germany is finally in sight, which makes us very glad," Zeschky said.

Reenie Vietheer, an energy specialist for environmental campaign group Greenpeace Germany, said the Easter Package was "more decisive than anything we've seen on it in recent years".

"If essential points are added to the draft, the expansion of renewables can pick up at the necessary pace," Vietheer said.