Ökologischer Umbau von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft: Kosten und Nutzen

This article weighs up the costs and benefits of the expansion of renewable energy technologies for electricity generation in Germany. According to calculations of the German Ministry of Economic Affairs, this expansion has cost electricity consumers almost 300 billion euros since the introduction of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) in 2000. Moreover, payment obligations of a similar magnitude are already in place for the next two decades. However, with the accelerated expansion of renewables following Russia’s attack on Ukraine, politicians are accepting costs well in excess of this approximately 600 billion. Given the costs already incurred, a cost-benefit analysis is imperative, not least because further costs in the three-digit billion range are not included in the 600 billion figure, such as the costs for grid expansion, which would not be necessary to the same extent without the expansion of renewables. Against this backdrop, strict attention should be paid to cost discipline in the further expansion of renewables by ensuring that the Federal Network Agency only issues technology-neutral rather than technology-specific tenders for the expansion of renewables in future. This means that only the most cost-efficient renewable technologies will be installed. Consequently, there will be budgetary scope for future investments that could boost the growth potential of the German economy more than the expansion of renewable energies. Contrasting with the high costs, the benefits of expanding renewable energies are modest. For example, the share of renewables in primary energy consumption in 2022 was only around 17 %. With such a low share, achieving greenhouse gas neutrality in 2045 with renewables alone appears to be a tremendous challenge.