The law, with its core elements of prioritising renewables and a fixed feed-in tariff, was the starting point for the breakthrough of electricity generation from renewables. In the field of photovoltaics, it triggered a real boom in Germany – which, unfortunately, also belongs to the whole history of our industry, was literally choked by the then federal government in 2013 for short-sighted reasons – an unnecessary fate, by the way, that only a few years later the German wind industry also had to suffer.
Initial spark for a global development
But from a global perspective, the EEG provided the initial spark for a development that continues to this day. It was and is a decisive impetus for the global energy transition. In 2020, on the 20th anniversary of the law, BEE President Simone Peter stated that our EEG had been copied in around 100 countries around the world.
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Hans-Josef Fell (Alliance 90/The Greens), together with the unfortunately much too early deceased Hermann Scheer (SPD) one of the fathers of the law, to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude, pointed out in this context that China adopted our EEG with its exact basic terms in 2008 for wind energy and in 2010 for solar energy. The resulting development is well known.
Renewables are on the advance worldwide
To date, the EEG has borne much fruit, not least due to the economies of scale resulting from the boom: according to an analysis by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), the electricity generation costs for photovoltaic open-field systems in Germany are currently between 4.1 and 6.9 cents per kilowatt hour and are thus unrivalled in their low cost compared to all other energy sources. Renewables are on the advance worldwide. Last year in Germany, renewables accounted for 59 per cent of the total electricity production. Green electricity is no longer the exception, but the rule. The vision of a climate-neutral energy world is becoming more and more of a reality every day.
PV Guided Tours: Up close with the innovations
How we can continue to move forward together on this path and shape the global energy transition is the overarching question that is posed every year when thinkers, makers and decision-makers in the industry meet at The smarter E Europe and its four exhibitions to present the most innovative products, applications and solutions, develop new ideas together and identify new prospects. I am really looking forward to the days in May. See you in Munich!
The author: Markus Elsässer is the founder and CEO of Solar Promotion. For over 30 years, the group has been organising global exhibitions and conferences and connecting the movers and shakers of a sustainable energy world. The focus is on renewable energies, decentralisation and digitalisation, as well as cross-industry solutions for a 24/7 renewable energy supply in the electricity, heating and transport sectors.
The group comprises three companies: Solar Promotion, Solar Promotional International and Conexio-PSE. The team consists of around 80 employees. In 2024, around 110,000 visitors from 176 countries came to Smarter E Europe in Munich. (hcn)
