Less coal, more sun
To ensure that fewer greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere, the share of renewable energies in gross German electricity consumption needs to rise to 65 percent by 2030. The Federal Government has taken necessary steps in this direction: the withdrawal from coal-fired power generation alongside the expansion of solar systems and wind turbines.
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Electricity generation without coal
The last coal-fired power station in Germany is set to be decommissioned by 2038 at the latest. The corresponding legislation entered into force on 14 August 2020. Ending electricity generation from burning coal will reduce Germany’s share of CO2 - carbon dioxide emissions significantly.
By 2022, output from hard coal-fired and lignite-fired power stations will sink to 15 gigawatts each. Further reductions to eight gigawatts output for hard coal-fired power stations and nine gigawatts output for the lignite-fired power stations are scheduled by 2030. Coal-fired power generation is set to end by 2038 at the latest.
At the same time, the Federal Government has intensified incentives in the Combined Heat and Power Act (KWK) to replace coal-fired combined power stations with modern combined systems and to incorporate heat from renewable energies into innovative combined heat and power systems.
Expansion of the share of renewable energies to 65 percent
Instead of fossil energy sources such as coal, more renewable energy sources are to serve as the basis for electricity production. By reforming the Renewable Energies Act (EEG 2021), the Federal Government wants to implement the goal of a 65 percent share of renewable energies in gross electricity consumption, which is already specified in the EEG.
Alongside expanding onshore and offshore wind turbines, the Federal Government is also pushing forward energy generation from solar power systems. The goal here is for photovoltaic technology to contribute to a climate-friendly energy mix with an installed output of 100 gigawatts by 2030. The 52 gigawatt expansion cap for solar systems has been lifted. Further measures are planned during the course of the EEG reform to enable better use of solar and wind energy.