Energy efficiency policies play a key role in the transformation to a ‘green energy economy’. The paper takes stock of the impacts of the existing energy efficiency policy instruments in Germany and reviews the energy, environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the country’s latest energy efficiency and climate strategies for the year 2020. The authors find evidence supporting the findings of other studies that enhanced green energy policies will trigger tangible economic benefits in terms of GDP growth and new jobs even in the short term. Whereas policy makers have already acknowledged and implemented this conclusion in the case of renewable energies, the paper shows that striving for more ambitious energy efficiency policies represents a similar win–win strategy, which should be exploited to a much larger extent.
Energy efficiency policies play a key role in the transformation to a ‘green energy economy’.
In order to enhance energy efficiency as a pillar of transition to a green energy economy it is important to understand whether and under which conditions energy efficiency programs could have positive economic and social impacts.
This paper addresses the challenge of Germany׳s energy transition (Energiewende) as the centrepiece of the country׳s green industrial policy.