Regionalität aus Sicht von Energieversorgungsunternehmen – Eine qualitative Inhaltsanalyse zu Regionalstrom in Deutschland

Abstract

At the beginning of 2019, the German Environment Agency established the System for Guarantees of Regional Origin (GRO). With the help of the GROs, energy suppliers can show that a certain proportion or a certain amount of electricity originates from the region. Even without GROs, some energy suppliers advertise the regionality of their electricity tariffs. This trend raises the question of how to assess regional electricity in economic terms from a supplier’s perspective. Therefore, we conducted expert interviews with 17 representatives from energy supply companies. The interviews revealed that many energy suppliers are currently following the trend to offer regional electricity tariffs. According to the experts, especially the corporate image of municipal energy suppliers seems to be consistent with the product claims of regional electricity. Yet, almost all interviewees see regional electricity in its current form as a niche product, which it will most likely remain if no regulatory changes are made in the future, e.g. discounts or subsidies for regional electricity.