The Hertie School professor outlines practical steps for reducing electricity costs with other leading energy economists
Lion Hirth, Professor of Energy Policy, together with Hanns Koenig (Aurora Energy Research) and Christoph Maurer (Consentec and FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg), have written an op-ed in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which explores practical measures to reduce electricity costs while maintaining progress towards climate protection goals.
The authors propose several key adjustments, including:
- Adapting renewable energy expansion to more realistic electricity consumption projections.
- Prioritising cost-effective solar projects over smaller installations, which tend to have higher costs.
- Implementing smarter grid investments, such as intelligent electricity meters and optimised network planning.
- Strategically prioritising industrial policies to focus on high-impact sectors.
The piece highlights the importance of focusing on large-scale renewable projects, such as solar parks, which generate electricity at significantly lower costs than rooftop solar installations. Another notable recommendation is the smarter integration of battery storage systems, ensuring they contribute to grid stability rather than solely individual cost savings.
This analysis provides a roadmap for making the energy transition more cost-efficient over the next decade. Read the full article in FAZ (in German) here.