Germany: Challenges of a Full Transition to Renewable Energy

The transformation of the German electricity sector to a near-total renewable supply (“Eneigiewende”) by 2050 or earlier was embodied into law in 2012. This seemed to consecrate a development which began with the passage of the Renewable Energy Act of 2000. Naturally, such a major transformation needs considerable vision, and over time needs determination from political and social forces to overcome resistance from established ideas, interests, practices, and organizational arrangements. After a historical overview of the institutional politics of RES-E (renewable energy sourced electricity), this chapter will look at three major challenges that German politics and society was/is faced with: launching very rapid, indeed disruptive RES-E growth (disrupting carbon lock-in); building or maintaining political support and an actor network capable of supporting this change; and reshaping the electricity system to accommodate fluctuating generation by wind and solar power.