"The market is very unsettled" - Habeck complains about the reluctance to use renewable energies

Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) has complained about the reluctance of production companies in the field of renewable energies. "The market is very unsettled," he said on Monday after an industry summit in Berlin. There is "distrust and waiting," however: "We cannot afford to wait," said Habeck, with a view to the necessary energy transition.

Although there is agreement on the high demand for renewables, the necessary investments are not made or only "when the orders are there directly". Habeck had previously met with representatives of industry associations and companies from the wind power, photovoltaic, cable and power grid sectors in Berlin. It was the second round table after a first meeting in April.

Habeck now said that "government measures would be needed to support confidence in the markets". The main thing is to set incentives for the markets to develop. There must be faster approvals and states and municipalities must identify areas for renewables more quickly "so that the signals get through to the industry," said Habeck. In addition, work is being carried out on a new capital design - a mixture of own and third-party capital - in order to create secure investment capital.

Last but not least, production and purchase guarantees for projects would have to be created, perhaps to the effect that the state would step in with a guarantee, said Habeck. This proposal from the working group on Monday will now be examined. Overall, a precise strategy should be worked out by the beginning of next year on how the production of renewables can be expanded.

Jörg Ebel, President of the Federal Association of the Solar Industry, said that the companies in the industry are equipped with "gigantic know-how and are very impatient" when it comes to production. However, it requires “equipment worth billions” and regulated financing.

Hermann Albers, President of the German Wind Energy Association, said that "more permits are needed every six months". In this segment, however, there is a decline of 15 percent this year. As early as April, Minister Habeck complained about the decline in permits and applications for new wind turbines at the beginning of the year - after 2021 had already been a "pathetically bad" year.

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