German renewable energy plan moves forward

New York Times : Currently 25% of Germany’s energy comes from renewables, but getting to that point has driven up consumer energy prices so that they are some of the highest in Europe. To help restrain prices, the government has passed legislation that modifies the decade-old plan for renewables to be 40% of the country’s energy by 2025. The legislation limits the addition of new solar and wind generation to just 2.5 GW per year and ends guaranteed prices for renewable energy so that competition between providers may drive down prices. However, Germany has been criticized by the European Union for providing surcharge exemptions to 2100 companies in energy-intensive industries. A deal between the two resulted in about 400 companies having to relinquish their exemptions, which provide an unfair advantage to companies doing business in Germany.