Renewable Energy Institute and Agora Energiewende, today announced the publication of “10 Q&A on the German Energiewende ― A contribution to the Japanese energy debate”.

Germany has adopted an ambitious energy transition strategy “the Energiewende" to phase out nuclear and fossil fuel in favor of renewable energy. Germany has set the goal of increasing the ratio of renewables in its electricity consumption to 40-45% by 2025, 55-60% by 2035 and at least 80% by 2050. In 2016, renewable energy supplied already 32.3% of Germany's electricity consumption. The speed and scope of the German Energiewende has been exceptional, attracting wide attention and debate globally. In Japan however, there has been a growing tendency in recent years to report skeptically about the German Energiewende and see it as a failure.

The purpose of this study is to present a current and accurate snapshot of the German experience. We believe that many of the lessons learnt from the German experience with adopting renewables can also be useful for the Japanese energy debate. The comparison with Germany is especially relevant, as both countries, while geographically distant, have a comparably sized population, export-based economies and strong industries; 10 of the most frequently asked questions in Japan have therefore been selected and answered in the form of Q & A.

We hope that this booklet will contribute to a better understanding of the German energy transition and contribute to a lively debate on the path that Japan might take towards achieving a decarbonized power system.

Contents:
Q1　What is the German Energiewende?
Q2　How is Germany progressing with its Energiewende?
Q3　Does Germany import nuclear and coal electricity from neighbouring countries to compensate for the nuclear phase-out?
Q4　Have electricity prices for German households risen due to the development of renewables?
Q5　Have German CO2 emissions increased because electricity production form coal has risen?
Q6　How has the German Energiewende impacted the domestic economy?
Q7　Is security of supply in Germany threatened by reliance on renewables?
Q8　Are German citizens and the business community supportive of the Energiewende?
Q9　What is the current status of the north-south transmission grid expansion?
Q10　Why did Germany reform the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) and introduce an auction system?

Download	10 Q&A on the German Energiewende ― A contribution to the Japanese energy debate (1.6MB)

The Japanese version of the booklet can be found here

To global version of the booklet (same content but tailored for an international audience) can be found here:
The Energiewende in a nutshell

For more information, please contact us:

Renewable Energy Institute
E-mail：info※renewable-ei.org　(Please change ※ into @)