by AFP Employees Writers
Berlin (AFP) Jan 5, 2026
The share of renewables in German energy manufacturing virtually stagnated in 2025, information confirmed Monday, as considerations develop a few shift away from inexperienced insurance policies underneath conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The determine had elevated strongly in earlier years as Europe’s largest economic system goals to achieve a objective of inexperienced energy accounting for 80 p.c of its power combine by 2030.
However final 12 months energy from sources reminiscent of wind, photo voltaic and hydroelectric accounted for 58.8 p.c of the combination, up simply barely from a determine of 58.5 p.c in 2024, in line with the power regulator.
The determine had been simply 43 p.c in 2021.
The share of wind energy, which remained Germany’s largest power supply, fell barely whereas photo voltaic rose resulting from development in manufacturing capability, the regulator stated.
The group Environmental Motion Germany stated final 12 months’s close to stagnation in renewables’ share was partially resulting from an absence of wind within the first half of 2025.
However the NGO however fears a looming slowdown within the inexperienced energy shift underneath Merz’s coalition, which took energy final 12 months, Constantin Zerger, the group’s head of power and local weather safety, informed AFP.
He stated that Financial system Minister Katherina Reiche “has introduced a number of occasions that she needs to decelerate the growth of renewables, which is after all very, very harmful”.
Critics level to measures starting from a deliberate growth of gasoline energy to proposals to scrap some photo voltaic subsidies as proof that Reiche is in search of to gradual the inexperienced shift and prioritise serving to large enterprise.
Merz has pushed again at criticism he’s undermining the local weather change battle, saying that his authorities is taking a extra pragmatic method to the power transition that goals to maintain prices manageable.
Within the earlier authorities, the Greens celebration helmed the economic system ministry and pushed formidable measures to speed up the transition — which had been hailed by environmentalists however prompted unease amongst companies about additional burdens.
Final 12 months the share of photo voltaic power in Germany’s power combine handed that of lignite, also referred to as brown coal, for the primary time.
However the share of two different fossil fuels, coal and pure gasoline, rose.
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