International aspects of the German energy transition

With the energy transition, the German Federal Government decided to initiate a comprehensive transformation of the energy supply system, which has far-reaching social consequences. The decision to adopt this new approach can be attributed to the unexpectedly strong growth of renewable energies in the electricity sector and related industries.

Technical requirements, social and political influences and overriding framework conditions were of crucial importance for this development. The future development will also be highly dependent on the respective parameters. On the one hand, the political development is influenced by the new challenges posed to the regulatory framework in Germany due to the high percentage of renewable energies in the electricity market. On the other hand, the European Commission intends to harmonise the promotion of renewable energy solutions and the promotion of the European energy market.

In a three-year research project, adelphi and the GWS mbH will examine the decisive international political developments that affect the expansion of renewable energies in Germany and the German export markets. The analysis of political support mechanisms focuses on renewable energy auctions as well as on the effects of these instruments on local content. Based on eight case studies, the countries China, France, India, Poland, Spain, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the USA are analysed in detail. In addition, adelphi is coordinating a complementary study of the Prognos AG on the impact on electricity prices in different EU Member States. Furthermore, adelphi is supporting elements of GWS projects focusing on the establishment international value-added chains and scenario calculations. At the end of the project period, specific recommendations based on the project’s findings will be formulated for those engaged in politics, research and different fields of business administration.