The facts: Hardly any other country in the world has as few supply failures as Germany. In 2019, the annual average outage duration per customer reached another record low, of around 12 minutes. At the same time renewables accounted for around 42% of annual gross electricity consumption. Regional fluctuations in renewables are being offset by European grid integration, demand-side response, the flexibilisation of fossil power plants and other measures. Studies with predictions for future periods show that security of supply will be guaranteed in Germany – even in rare cases when solar and wind energy generation are low at the same time.

The facts: Energy poverty barely exists in Germany. In 2018, less than 3% of the population was in arrears with their electricity bills, well below the EU average of 6.6%. The amount of arrears has not increased in Germany since 2005.

The facts: It is correct that, at around 15 TWh, France was the largest exporter of electricity to Germany in 2019 and that nuclear energy accounts for approx. 70% of the electricity mix of France. It is also correct that Poland still has high shares of coal power in the national electricity mix, but  it is not correct that the country exports large amounts of power to Germany. In 2019 the figure was less than 1 TWh.In fact, Germany was a net exporter of electricity in 2019 with total exports of 61 TWh, which made Germany one of the largest electricity exporters in Europe.

The facts:Energy-intensive industries pay reduced surcharges and therefore a significantly lower electricity price. In addition, large clients purchase power directly at the electricity exchange and have continously benefited from lower wholesale prices due to increasing renewable energies. This is a significant contribution to ensuring the competitiveness of German industry.

The facts:In 2018, the renewable energy sector employed around 300,000 people in Germany. These are well-paid jobs in a future-oriented industry. Although jobs will inevitably disappear for around 20,000 workers directly affected by the decommissioning of lignite power stations and around 40,000 workers who will be indirectly affected, the overall net employment effects of the energy transition are positive. This positive employment trend is not limited to Germany: it is estimated that in 2018 worldwide 11 million people were employed in the renewable energy sector.

The facts:According to the 2018 IASS Social Sustainability Barometer, more than 90% of the German population support the energy transition. Nevertheless, some projects – e.g. for onshore wind turbines and grid expansion – face resistance at local level. Local acceptance can be directly increased by financial participation of local citizens and communities. It is helpful to provide key information and ensure maximum transparency from the very beginning with all relevant stakeholders, from companies to civil society.

The German government estimates that around 187 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions in 2018 were saved by renewables alone. Electricity generation from renewables accounted for the largest contribution to emission reduction. In 2019, Germany’s emissions fell by 8% to 620 Mt of CO₂, a level not seen since the 1950s, when the German economy was around 10 times smaller.

To further reduce CO₂ emissions, the coal phase-out was anchored in law in 2020 and will be completed by 2038 at the latest. Additionally, in 2019, the government adopted a comprehensive climate change mitigation program that introduces a CO₂ price for heating and transport starting in 2021.

Germany is going to phase-out nuclear energy entirely by the end of 2022. Although this lowers the mitigation potential of CO₂ emissions it reduces the risk of a nuclear accident and costs of safe disposal and storage of radioactive waste. Official calculations show that the cost for decommissioning nuclear power plants in Germany, excluding the cost for disposal of nuclear fuel elements, stands at around €1.1 bn per GW so far.