Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The energy transition is upon us. Germany, considered a pioneering country in the energy transition has deployed. Immense efforts to shift energy production and consumption away from fossil fuels towards renewable energies. The key drivers for these efforts have been the increasing fossil fules prices as well as rising environmental concerns.

And yet, the energy transition needs to be just, both for the people, and the planet. Low-income households and marginalized people are prone to suffer from a rise in energy prices and the unequal distribution of energy between industries and households. Since laws and regulations tend to favour the affluent population and prioritise industrial activities, ethical and moral concerns around justice in energy debates and transition plans need to be addressed. This thesis responds to this need by examining energy justice in the process of the energy transition in Germany. It explores related to the distribution of the costs and benefits in the process of transitioning towards renewable energy, as well as participation, procedural justice, and power relations emerging in this process.

The study asks:
Who is involved in the energy transition in Germany and with which roles?;
How do different actors involved in the energy transition in Germany perceive energy justice?;
What are the consequences of different understandings of energy justice on the involved actors in the energy transition in Germany?, and ultimately;
What are the energy justice-related challenges of the German energy transition?

Semi-structured interviews with activists, political parties, and industry representatives taken together with the analysis of German energy policies and observations made at COP28 illustrate empirically different understandings of energy justice. They show that the cost of the energy transition is passed on to consumers. Financially struggling households are often forced to think short-term while energy-efficient and renewable housing usually pays off long-term, which is something that only the wealthiest households can afford. Funding and subsidy programmes are gratefully accepted amongst the population and industry. Laws are perceived as a bureaucratic burden. The transition has been overwhelming people and companies: they are seen as difficult to keep up with, understand and act upon. The actors who benefit most from the current energy policies related to the energy transition are the middle class and rising-income households, as well as energy industries and large corporations because of subventions and available financial possibilities. Even though all involved stakeholders are present in roundtables when new laws are discussed, the general population is often not aware of these exchanges and the possibility to participate. There is a lack of inclusion of social aspects such as the lack of integration of all financial conditions of households and industries in the energy transition legislation. In addition, there is a lack of knowledge and awareness about aspects such as the population's ability to participate in decision-making processes or the government's awareness of the population's financial situation when making policy, leading to policies that do not recognise social issues. However, the imperative of the energy transition is increasingly acknowledged in debates.

The path to greater energy justice in Germany requires continued efforts at various levels to tackle the existing injustices and find fairer solutions. Germany should not only strive to become a pioneer of the energy transition but also to be a trailblazer in energy justice.