Sun & Wind Belt offers a window into European and German energy reforms
Policy-Makers from EU and GER highlight business potential for renewables industry stemming from current climate packages
14. July 2022, Berlin — The Transatlantic Sun & Wind Belt business initiative hosted a discussion of the current European and German clean energy reform efforts yesterday, providing an U.S. audience with an up-to-date picture of the continent’s changing market situation. The conversation with leading negotiators of Europe and Germany’s reforms, Michael Bloss and Nina Scheer, pointed to the new commercial opportunities opening up in the renewable energy sector. Scheer and Bloss spoke to the far-reaching clean energy packages currently being pushed through on the national and EU levels, paving the way for significant growth potential. The speakers also highlighted the importance of a renewed trade-partnership between the U.S. and Germany/ Europe in the green energy technology space, in the context of Russia’s attack on Ukraine and Europe’s more urgent need for energy independence.
Michael Bloss, German Member of European Parliament for the Greens and part of the EP’s Delegation for the Relationship to the U.S., summarized the main reforms currently moving through the EU’s legislative process. He made clear that the currently negotiated climate package is the “biggest in European history,” offering new business potential to the European private clean energy sector, but also to American companies along with investors active in the renewables industry. “As a reaction to the war in Ukraine, a huge package called REPowerEU has been set up, including 250 billion euros to be invested into energy transformation,” Bloss explained. “For the solar industry, goals have been set to expand solar production until 2030 to around 215GW in Germany, Europe wants to build up to 600GW until 2030 – it is a huge market and a lot of solar PV panels will be deployed in order to reach our goal, showcasing just one example of the great business opportunities the energy transition in Europe has to offer.”
Nina Scheer, Member of German Parliament and Social Democratic Party Spokeswoman for Energy and Climate Protection, offered an insider perspective on the most important points from Germany’s “Easter Package” of energy policy reforms. This group of new laws aims to accelerate wind and solar power growth in Germany. She described how the recent reform made some “big step forwards” regarding renewable energy: “Renewable energies are given “paramount common interest,” as is written down in the act.” This should give additional legal security for wind and solar projects and reduce waiting time in admission processes, thus accelerating the process to get wind and solar on the ground and on the roofs.”
Both lawmakers agreed that an expansion of renewable energies must not lead to new energy dependencies, for instance on imported solar modules. The speakers discussed the importance of building new trade relationships with stable and reliable partners, underscoring the Transatlantic Sun & Wind Belt’s objective of strengthening U.S.-German partnership on renewable energy. As Bloss put it: “We have to re-establish an EU-U.S. partnership for energy independence. Now is the right time to do so and Europe and the U.S. are the right partners, sharing common interests and a common vision for a green and independent energy future.”
This point was also emphasized by Sun & Wind Belt co-founder Milan Nitzschke: “The idea of the Transatlantic Sun & Wind Belt is to bring the two Western pioneers of renewable energies – Germany and the U.S. – closer together again, to learn from each other, support and motivate each other. The idea of a close partnership between those who share the same values and visions for the future is more important now than it’s been in a long time. That’s why we believe we should continue this transatlantic dialogue, to act as role models for one another and give the green energy transition the extra push it needs.”
The event was held virtually on Wednesday, 12th July 2022 with attendees from both the U.S. and Europe. It was moderated by David Wortman, CEO of DWR eco. The Transatlantic Sun&Wind Belt will continue facilitating EU-U.S. dialogues with the goal of strengthening partnership across the Atlantic.
About the Sun & Wind Belt
The Transatlantic Sun & Wind Belt is the first German-U.S. business initiative to promote the acceleration of the transition to renewable energies and the green transformation more broadly, aiming to drive in-depth cooperation between the United States and Europe. Founded in 2021, the group has gained support and engaged participation from the largest private sector actors in the renewable energy sector on both sides of the Atlantic. With the goal of establishing a stable and transparent joint regulatory framework that prioritizes renewable energy, the Sun & Wind Belt initiates dialogue with political stakeholders and promotes the exchange of expertise, best practices, and investment between the U.S. and Germany—the two largest market-based leaders in renewable energy development and deployment.
Link to the Sun & Wind Belt’s March event at the 2022 Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue: https://youtu.be/QTqp5IhUNtc
