As of: January 24, 2024, 6:15 a.m
By: Marcus Giebel
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Where will tomorrow's electricity come from?
According to experts, low-income households will be left behind in the energy transition.
© Jonas Walzberg/dpa
A think tank criticizes the fact that households with lower incomes are among the losers of the energy transition in Europe.
Politics must take countermeasures.
Berlin – A lot is going wrong with the energy transition in Europe.
This is the conclusion of the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), an independent, global non-governmental organization that promotes policy innovation and forward-thinking in the energy sector.
Accordingly, low-income households in particular are excluded from the transformation.
Energy transition in Europe: According to experts, the electricity system must be used “much more flexibly”.
That's why the think tank, which is also based in Berlin, emphasizes: "In order to use enormous new amounts of solar, wind and other variable renewable energy sources, the electricity system must become much more flexible." Consumers play a central role in using renewable energies efficiently to use.
However, RAP further states: “Lower-income households that could benefit most from potential cost savings are rarely the first to take advantage of technologies, offerings and services that enable them to change their energy consumption.”
However, the goal must be to make these advantages easily accessible to those households that need them most - for example for cost reasons.
In this way, protection can be provided “against financial hardship, psychological stress and physical complaints”.
Video: Experts doubt whether Germany will be able to phase out coal by 2030
Renewable energies in Europe: Experts make three suggestions to politicians
Specifically, the two authors make three suggestions to politicians.
We need to aim for the right kind of flexibility, not a forced form that also fails to meet the energy and comfort needs of households.
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By prioritizing low-income households for energy efficiency improvements and technologies that enable greater flexibility, the technology gap can be closed.
Finally, forward-looking, low-risk retail offerings should be designed to bridge the gap to flexibility.
Choice of energy source: The question of how and when it is used is crucial
In the future, how and when electricity is used will increasingly determine how expensive the energy source is.
This benefits all those who can shift their needs accordingly, while everyone else falls behind.
If you don't have the option to choose your energy source, you have to expect higher costs due to a lack of alternatives.
This makes it all the more important that politicians act proactively.
Already in June 2022, RAP emphasized that consumers need to be given incentives and tools so that they can adjust the flexible part of their electricity consumption in a way that is beneficial for the entire system.
Even back then, the aim was to take particularly low-income households along.
In addition, European politicians were encouraged to set the course for consumer flexibility as quickly as possible so that they do not have to pay a higher price later.
(mg)