Background :
The Renewable Energies Law

To promote environment and climate protection as well as to secure supplies, both chambers of the German government have, in agreement with the European Union, committed the country to at least doubling the share of renewable energy sources in energy supplies by 2010. The aim of doubling the share of renewables is already specified in the European Commission white paper “Energy for the future: renewable energy sources”. It has also been confirmed by the Council of Ministers and passed by the European Parliament as the “Directive on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market”.

In the context of Germany's obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 21 percent by 2010, this goal is part of the EU commitments to the Kyoto Protocol from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as well as the German government's own target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent compared to 1990 by 2005.