Upgrading roofs: Solar energy continues to boom in the country. This is good for the climate, but the road to climate neutrality is still long and rocky.
red/dpa/lsw
02.08.2024 – 13:55
Baden-Württemberg is making progress in the expansion of solar energy. According to the Ministry of the Environment, the self-imposed targets for the expansion of solar energy for 2024 were already achieved at the end of July. From January to July, 1,229 megawatts of new capacity were installed, as Environment Minister Thekla Walker (Greens) announced in Stuttgart. The expansion target for the current year is therefore 1,150 megawatts. The target comes from the sector study commissioned by the state, which determined what needs to happen in the individual areas, when and how, so that the southwest can achieve the goal of being climate-neutral in 2040.
However, experts believe that Baden-Württemberg is in danger of missing its climate targets. In a so-called climate projection report, they recently calculated the extent to which the state is on track to achieve its climate targets. The state is aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 65 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 and to become climate neutral by 2040 – five years earlier than the federal government has decided for Germany. Only as many greenhouse gases can then be emitted as can be bound again.
Growth in rooftop systems
According to the report, the interim target will not be achieved by 2030. By then, the country will only manage to reduce CO2 emissions by 53 percent. The goal of climate neutrality by 2040 is also far away. According to the forecast, the country will still emit 21 million tons of CO2 by then. In order to achieve the targets, further measures are needed, the report says.
Walker said that renewables are booming. “It’s good for consumers, who can become more independent by installing solar panels on their roofs or balconies. It’s also good for the economy, when more electricity is fed into the grid at unbeatably low production costs and the stock market prices are pushed down.” You can see that more and more companies are investing directly in green energy close to their locations and building their own solar parks for their production facilities. This is also driving the energy transition in the country.
According to the ministry, the good expansion figures are mainly due to the increase in rooftop systems. There is still room for improvement in photovoltaics on open spaces. In order to secure areas for the expansion of photovoltaics and wind energy at the regional level, statutory minimum area targets have been established. By 2025, the regional plans are to specify areas of at least 0.2 percent of the respective region’s area for the use of photovoltaics on open spaces, the Ministry of the Environment announced.
