Climate and energy
Climate action is a top priority in Germany. The Federal Government aims to be a driving force in the energy transformation both at home and abroad, supporting the expansion of renewable energy sources.
Overview
Stopping climate change
The next few years will decide whether or not the global community succeeds in bringing global warming to a halt. To this end, Germany has developed an ambitious climate protection plan and is also collaborating closely with other countries on the issue of climate protection.
1976
1976
The then German Ministry of Research resolves to build a 100-metre-high large wind power plant (Growian) in north Germany. However, the first experiment with wind power fails and Growian is torn down in 1988.
1987
1987
At Kaiser Wilhelm Koog on the west coast of Schleswig - Holstein, the first German windfarm goes turnkey. Since then, 32 wind turbines have been transforming North Sea wind into electrical power.
1991
1991
The Electricity Feed-In Act regulates the obligation for power utilities to purchase electrical energy from regenerative transformation processes and sets fixed tariffs for the remuneration thereof.
2000
2000
The Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) comes into force. Among other things, it lays the legal basis for prioritising renewable sources when feeding electricity into the national grid.
2011
2011
After the nuclear reactor disaster in Fukushima the German Federal cabinet adopts parameters for energy policy: the exit from nuclear power is to be achieved step by step by 2022 and energy supplies placed on an eco-friendly footing.
2017
2017
The German auto industry is increasingly investing in e-mobility. Some 40 billion euros will go into R&D by 2020. The number of electric models will treble from 30 to 100 over the same period.
2019
2019
In December, the Climate Protection Programme 2030 comes into force, with the help of which the government hopes to achieve climate goals in a way that is both economically sustainable and socially equitable. The core elements of this are the German Climate Protection Act and the new CO2 pricing system for transport and heating applicable from 2021.
Facts and figures
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Withdrawal from nuclear by 2022
In 2000, the German government decided to withdraw from nuclear power.
65 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
By 2030, Germany aims to have cut greenhouse gas emissions by 65 % on the level of 1990.
1.7 million photovoltaic systems
In 2020, these plants generated a nameplate capacity of 49.5 gigawatts.
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30 % less primary energy consumption
By 2030, primary energy consumption in Germany is expected to have fallen by 30 % on 2008 levels.
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700,000 jobs in the energy economy
More than half of these jobs are in the field of renewable energies.
