Renewables federation bets on energy-sharing to drive acceptance of energy transition
(Clean Energy Wire, 27 Apr 2023) Energy sharing will be key to increasing local acceptance for the energy transition and should thus be better implemented, according to a group of energy companies lead by the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE).
The group has mapped out a model for Germany, a task the government should have already completed under EU energy sharing requirements by mid-2021. Energy sharing allows regional consumers to come together and collectively produce, use (at a cheaper rate) and sell renewable power. The proposed model suggests a state premium per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity consumed directly from the jointly operated plants. This incentive should encourage the use of regionally green electricity when it is abundantly available by increasing the premium proportional to its share in total consumption.
Citizens should be able to drive forward the expansion of renewables and benefit financially from it, says Malte Zieher from the citizens energy alliance Bündnis Bürgerenergie. “In order to enable people and communities without their own real estate and land to participate in the energy transition and benefit from low-cost renewable energies, the German government should follow the guidelines from Brussels and comprehensively enable energy sharing in Germany,” BEE head Simone Peter said. “This would accelerate the energy transition and strengthen acceptance for the expansion,” she added. Currently, citizens can jointly generate electricity under German law, but cannot jointly use it themselves.
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