Wednesday November 24th 2021
EEG surcharge will be abolished
What the traffic light is planning for climate protection
The price of electricity should fall, the share of renewable energies should increase, natural gas should only be a transitional technology and the subsidy for hybrid vehicles should end. An overview of the traffic light’s climate policy plans.
It stood above the negotiations between the SPD, the Greens and the FDP: The goal anchored in the Paris climate agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial era. “Achieving the climate protection goals of Paris is our top priority,” says the coalition agreement of the traffic light parties. But what exactly does that mean?
Almost 30 percent of the electricity in Germany comes from coal. This could change soon. In 2030, the new federal government “ideally” wants to get out of coal. So far, the shutdown of the last coal pile is planned by 2038 at the latest. By 2030, Germany is to get 80 percent of its electricity from renewable energies; They want to “massively expand” this, write the traffic light parties. The federal states should dedicate two percent of their area to wind energy.
The current pace in expanding renewables is not enough
A conversion that, according to the consumer advice center in North Rhine-Westphalia, cannot be done at the expense of consumers. “With a clever market design for the expansion of renewables, the costs for taxpayers and electricity customers can be limited. Concrete figures would be speculation, but I don’t see any reason for fear,” says Udo Sieverding, head of the energy department at the consumer advice center in North Rhine-Westphalia. He considers the coal phase-out by 2030 to be realistic. Because the CO2 price in emissions trading will rise so high that coal-fired power plants will, with a few exceptions, be uneconomical for security of supply.
Nevertheless, the energy transition remains a major challenge. There have been many difficulties in recent years, especially when it comes to using land for renewable energies. There was a lack of space, the planning process took a long time, there were repeated hailstorms of complaints and disputes with species and nature conservation. “At the current pace, the goals in the coalition agreement cannot be met,” says Marcel Fratzscher, President of the German Institute for Economic Research, at ntv.
But you don’t have to worry about a supply gap, says Philipp Litz, project manager at the Agora Energiewende think tank, in an interview with ntv. “There’s still time until 2030, that’s the good thing,” he says. “The important thing is that politics get going now. The approval procedures have to go faster. Technically, however, it is feasible.”
New heating systems will soon no longer be purely fossil fuel
The coalition agreement states that natural gas is “indispensable for a transition period”. But even this fossil fuel should no longer be used in new buildings for heating in the next few years. “As of January 1, 2025, every newly installed heating system should be operated on the basis of 65 percent renewable energies,” says the coalition agreement. According to the consumer advice center, that’s not a problem. Alternatives are available and are currently being technically developed. However: “The costs have to be borne by landlords and tenants jointly. The energetic state of the house is decisive. The new federal government must improve the previous regulation here,” says Sieverding. The coalition promises a funding program for new residential construction, which should be based in particular on the greenhouse gas emissions per living space. And the traffic light parties want to strengthen the housing benefit, introduce a climate component.
Because of the increased energy prices, there should be a one-time heating subsidy for low-income families. Further reductions are also planned for the CO2 tax. Because fuel and heating costs continue to rise, the price of CO2 is surprisingly not expected to rise any further. And: In future, landlords should also contribute to the heating cost surcharge through the CO2 price. So far, the tenants have borne that alone.
The rising energy prices, which also include electricity, are probably one of the reasons why the new federal government will end the financing of the EEG surcharge through the electricity price. That should relieve the electricity price.
The burner remains a little longer
When it comes to cars and climate protection, the original plans remain. A discussed earlier end for the combustion engine will not exist. It remains with the plans of the EU Commission that no more combustion engines will be approved from 2035. Instead, there should be at least 15 million fully electric cars in Germany by 2030. So far, the goal has been ten million. However, hybrids were also included here. Funding is to be reformed. From January 2023, only e-cars that have been shown to have a positive climate protection effect will be funded. One criterion is the range. There is then only money for cars that can reach at least 80 kilometers. After 2025 there should no longer be an innovation bonus.
The new government also wants to focus on expanding the charging stations – with supply requirements if necessary. Local transport is also to be supported with billions.