Bundestag adopts Germany's revised renewable energy law

(ADPnews) - Jul 1, 2011 - The German Bundestag approved on Thursday a new law governing the country's nuclear phaseout and its transition to renewable energy.

The parliamentary groups of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU), the Free Democratic Party (FDP), the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens voted in favour of the new Renewable Energy Act (EEG). Only the Lefts voted against.

The Greens have been insisting on improved subsidies for photovoltaic (PV) solar power but their proposals did not gather the necessary support in parliament.

The Federal Minister for the Environment, Norbert Roettgen, spoke of the importance of the law adoption and expressed his confidence in the market success of renewable energy. He described the nuclear phaseout as a collaborative project for which not only the government but also companies and citizens are responsible.

Prior to yesterday's vote, the new law was heavily criticised by a number of organisations that claimed the EEG amendment will not be beneficial to the energy turnaround. There were also concerns that the law was rushed through Parliament after only two months of discussions.

Germany aims to decommission the nine nuclear reactors that still operate in the country stepwise between 2015 and 2022. At the same time, the use of renewable energy is planned to constantly increase. The share of renewables in Germany's energy mix must rise to 35% by 2020, then to 80% by 2050. The installed offshore wind capacity alone must total 10 GW by 2020.

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