Marking the country’s largest energy policy amendments in decades, Germany’s Federal Council has passed a series of amendments approving a major increase in renewable energy development over the next several years, including a target for renewables to meet 80% of electricity demand in the country by 2030.

The legislation forms a major part of the new German government’s clean energy strategy, which aims to boost the country’s efforts to address climate change, accelerating Germany’s phase-out of coal by several years and transitioning to an economy powered largely by renewable energy in order to reach a 2045 climate neutrality target.

The package includes plans for onshore wind power to increase by 10 GW per year, reaching 115 GW of capacity by 2030, solar to more than double to 215 GW by 2030, with 22 GW to be added per year, offshore wind to grow to 30 GW by 2030, 40 GW by 2035, and 70 GW by 2045.

Additionally, by 2032 at the latest, 2% of Germany’s land area will be set aside for onshore wind power, under the new package.

Earlier this year, Germany, together with the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark signed an offshore wind pact to make the North Sea the “Green Power Plant of Europe.” The countries plan to invest €135 billion to reach combined targets for 65 GW of offshore wind by 2030, and 150 GW by 2050, delivering more than half of the capacity needed to achieve EU climate neutrality.

Vice-Chancellor and Federal Economics and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck said:

“The sheer number and scope of the bills alone show how important energy and energy security have become for Germany and for Europe – how important they are for the security, freedom and prosperity of our republic. We have decided on the biggest acceleration package for the expansion of renewables in decades. We will almost double the share of renewable energy in gross electricity consumption within less than a decade.”

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