Upcoming Trade Shows in Germany for Energy

Germany’s national climate change strategy, embodied in the Climate Action Plan 2050, outlines a comprehensive pathway for achieving significant sector-specific emissions reductions, which when met will establish Germany’s energy industry as the greenest and most sustainable in Europe. This ambitious plan is a critical component of the Energiewende, Germany’s long-term strategy for transitioning to a renewable energy-based economy. The targets are clear: a minimum 40% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2020, 55% by 2030, 70% by 2040, and reaching an 80-95% reduction by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. However, Germany has encountered challenges in meeting its near-term emissions targets, largely due to uneven progress across various sectors. As of 2018, Germany had achieved a 31% reduction in total GHG emissions from 1990 levels, falling short of the 2020 target of a 40% reduction. The primary obstacles are significant emissions from the transport and heating sectors, which have not kept pace with the rapid increase in renewable electricity generation. The Energiewende has markedly transformed Germany’s electricity generation landscape. Renewable energy sources, particularly wind and solar, have seen substantial growth, effectively replacing a significant portion of the nuclear energy that was phased out over the past decade. By 2017, wind power had overtaken both nuclear and natural gas to become the second-largest source of electricity generation in the country. Even with current successes on these fronts, coal, particularly lignite, remains the largest source of electricity. More needs to be done, chief among which is the rapid and continuous expansion of the role of renewables in electricity generation. Otherwise, Germany will fall far behind meeting its climate and energy targets. The 2010 Energy Concept set an initial goal for renewables to comprise 35% of gross electricity consumption by 2020, a target that was surpassed with 38% in 2018 and 44% in the first half of 2019.