11 - Legislative Structures

Abstract

With the purpose of protecting the environment, managing global warming, and securing a reliable energy supply, the German Government and the German Bundestag committed themselves to at least doubling the percentage share of renewable energy in the total energy supply by 2010. This objective was related to the envisaged commitment on the part of Germany to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 21% by 2010 in the framework of the Kyoto Protocol within the Climate Convention of the United Nations; this objective was linked to the German Government's objective to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25% by 2005, relative to 1990. The tendering procedure used in countries with quantity regulations seems to lead to a bureaucratic and costly process, both for the operators and for the authorities. As a result, only part of the technical and economic potentials is exploited. In the United Kingdom, this has led to significant local-acceptance problems for wind power in contrast to the occasional but harmless local frictions in Germany or Denmark. It is not realistic to expect a government to increase the quota without extensive public debates and objection from the vested interests. The compensation rates for electricity from biomass, wind energy, and solar power are given in the chapter. The Renewable Energy Sources Act reduces the competitive advantage that conventional power producers have enjoyed compared to renewable energy producers, which causes limited or no external costs. The importance of political priorities and further growth for wind energy is discussed in brief in the chapter.