Commentary on the energy transition
Now, please, no more bouncing off
Frankfurt am Main. The energy transition used to be romantic. The pioneers were true visionaries and passionate inventors who often built their systems themselves. That was two and a half decades ago. Renewable energy sources now cover almost two-thirds of electricity needs. A real success story.
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But it is not even half told. More and more solar energy systems are being mounted on roofs and more and more wind turbines are being put up. But now it is important to bring the renewable electricity to customers.
Weak distribution networks become a problem
It is becoming increasingly clear: the networks are the weak points of the mega project. However, huge amounts of capital must be raised to expand them. It is therefore right that the state bank KfW, together with Deutsche Bank, is now courting investors in a very professional manner. To put it more precisely: the initiative is almost a bit late. In particular, the expansion of regional distribution networks can no longer keep up with the speed of the renewable energy boom.
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If this continues, there is a risk of frustration and disappointment among homeowners and professional operators of sustainable systems. We cannot afford that. The opposite of romance is needed now: cool, calculating institutional investors from all over the world who can earn many billions to finance the expansion of the networks.
In fact, to make the “investment case” truly credible, the course must be stayed on ending the fossil fuel industry. Ricochets – like the debate on phasing out combustion engines – are negligent and dangerous because they scare off investors.