SHOULDN'T HAVE NEEDED A CRISIS, BUT NOW EXPLOIT IT:

This week, Habeck will hold talks about purchasing LNG in the United States, as well as about energy, security policy and the consequences of sanctions. But the current crisis is also an opportunity for the environmentalists to massively push the expansion of green electricity. "The most important key to our energy sovereignty is the global transformation toward more renewable energies and greater energy efficiency," said Habeck before leaving for the United States. "Of course, we are debating the question of energy security in the transatlantic alliance."

But, in Germany's coalition government, even Finance Minister Christian Lindner, of the FDP, has changed his tune. He now calls renewable energies "freedom energies." Chancellor Olaf Scholz has labeled them "crucial for our security." In parliament, on Sunday, he confirmed: "The faster we push ahead with the expansion of renewable energies, the better."

A package of laws is set to come into force as early as July to enable a full supply of electricity from renewable sources by 2035. The law is to stipulate that the expansion is in the "overriding public interest and serves public safety."

To achieve this, however, capacities will have to be expanded enormously. In the case of wind energy, capacity is to double to 110 gigawatts by 2030. Solar energy is expected to more than triple to 200 gigawatts. To convince those who oppose more wind turbines being built in their neighborhood, there are plans to allow municipalities to participate financially in wind farms.

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