The German government has set itself major goals for the expansion of solar energy. One important force in this is citizen energy. Does the draft amendment to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) meet the high expectations for an acceleration in tenant electricity, community self-consumption and renewable energy communities?

Especially in large cities like Berlin, solar energy plays a central role, as it is the most essential renewable energy source that can be tapped in the urban area. But in the area of multifamily housing and in neighborhoods, various obstacles are currently slowing down rapid expansion, which is also supported by citizens.   

In the ninth episode of Wandelwecker, our experts discuss the draft amendment to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) presented by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection at the beginning of March:

• Malte Zieher has been working as a board member of Bündnis Bürgerenergie since 2017 on the nationwide networking of civic energy actors and has been managing the office since 2018. He has co-founded several citizen energy projects since 2009, including SolidarStrom in Bremen. After studying political science and sustainability economics, he worked for six years as a project manager for virtual power plants at energy & meteo systems in Oldenburg.
• Katharina Umpfenbach is a Senior Fellow and coordinates Ecologic Institute's work on energy policy. Currently, her research focuses on the question of a new regulatory framework for the decarbonization of the energy sector and sector coupling. She is particularly interested in the interplay between energy market integration in Europe and the German Energiewende, as well as the integration of the energy and transport sectors through electromobility.  
• Dr. Astrid Aretz is a researcher in the research field "Sustainable Energy Management and Climate Protection" at the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) and has been working for many years on issues in the fields of renewable energies, sustainable development, assessment of energy systems and technology assessment. She has worked in various projects on the self-consumption of RES-E in households and on the potentials of tenant electricity.