logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2025
24m 54s

Explaining Germany's energy transition '...

S&P Global Commodity Insights
About this episode

The energy policy of Europe's largest economy, Germany, is the focus of this week's episode.

The coalition government's energy ministry recently published a monitoring report highlighting the need for a reality check on electricity demand forecasts and the implications for renewable energy expansion.

Andreas Franke, editorial lead at S&P Global Commodity Insights, and Henning Gloystein, managing director of energy, climate & resources at Eurasia Group, examine how revised projections could alter Berlin's solar and wind expansion targets, and reshape the country's path to 80% renewable power by 2030.

The conversation delves into the challenges facing German industry amid high energy costs and questions whether the country's 2045 climate targets remain realistic, given its planned reliance on gas-fired power generation.

Franke and Gloystein also discuss how this recalibrated approach signals broader challenges facing the global energy transition, and they debate whether similar "reality checks" may be needed across other European nations.

Up next
Aug 25
Europe's electrification challenge: Can ambition meet reality?
The EU wants to nearly double its electrification rate to 46% by 2040, a transformation that would slash fossil fuel imports by hundreds of billions of euros annually. In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Eklavya Gupte examines the EU's Electrification Action Plan and assess ... Show More
32m 57s
Aug 18
Balcony solar and EVs are giving consumers a greater role in grid flexibility
Balcony or "plug-in" solar is rapidly gaining popularity, as it gives consumers who might not have easy access to distributed solar generation a straightforward way to deploy the technology and begin saving on their power bills. Meanwhile, as drivers transition to electric vehicl ... Show More
42m 19s
Aug 11
Cybersecurity and clean energy: Inside the EU funding ban for solar and storage inverters
In April 2026, the European Commission adopted interim guidance stipulating that solar and battery storage projects using inverters or power conversion systems sourced from high-risk countries would be ineligible for EU funding, citing concerns over cybersecurity and grid resilie ... Show More
30m 21s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2020
Germany’s Energy Transition
Germany has long been considered a leader in renewable energy – a model even for others to follow with its subsidies for wind and solar. Householders were encouraged to put solar panels on their rooves as early as two decades ago. But its so-called “Energiewende” or “energy trans ... Show More
26m 28s
Sep 2021
Massive energy transition challenge tops next German government's in-tray
Germany goes to the polls on September 26 in the most open contest for years. As Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares to step down, S&P Global Platts' news and analytics experts discuss the daunting energy challenges facing her successor. The rally in natural gas prices adds uncerta ... Show More
25m 11s
Sep 2022
Germany: How to Fail An Energy Transition
<p>Noah Rettberg returns for an update on the tragedy of German energy and energy policy. As politicians continue to mislead the public and force a nuclear phaseout amid a full-blown energy crisis, the country has become a lesson in what not to do when it comes to clean energy. W ... Show More
1h 14m
Dec 2021
Wind of change in Germany
Can the ambitious renewable energy plans of the incoming government overcome domestic nimbyism and Russian gas politics?Ed Butler hears from one member of the new left-liberal-green coalition, Social Democrat MP Jens Zimmermann, about their plans to phase out coal entirely by 203 ... Show More
18m 30s
Feb 2022
So You're Telling Me There's a Chance: Germany's Nuclear Wobble
<p>Mark Nelson breaks the news that the German Ministry of Finance is discussing rolling back the country's nuclear phaseout. Why? How foreseeable was this? And what would it mean for Germany?</p> <p>Mark Nelson is the Managing Director of Radiant Energy Group. https://www.radian ... Show More
27m 34s