Citizens play a key role in a successful energy transition in Germany. Renewable energies are still largely in the hands of private individuals, according to a new study by the trend:research institute. Almost a third of the installed capacity of wind, solar, bioenergy, hydropower and geothermal power plants is owned by them. If farmers are included, this figure rises to more than 40 percent. However, the proportion of community energy is falling compared to previous years.
The proportion of community energy is above average for onshore wind energy, photovoltaics and biogas. Three quarters of the installations are on farms. Unlike onshore wind energy, offshore wind energy is dominated by energy suppliers, funds and banks. The former account for almost two thirds of offshore capacities, the latter for the remaining third.
The extent to which the ownership structure is shifting from citizen energy in favor of larger investors can be seen by looking at the share of new installations. For the first time, private individuals were no longer the largest group in the construction of new plants in 2019 at 18%. Funds and banks took the top spot with 21%.
