Completed Project
Previous to the 2014 revision of the Renewable Energy Act (Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz, EEG) this study added to the discussion around cost reliefs for many industrial enterprises. These reliefs were criticized for increasing electricity costs for non-privileged consumers, without any assessment whether privileged firms were actually exposed to international competition. The study develops proposals for a more targeted design of the privileges that foster a just distribution of the financial burden from renewable energy deployment without compromising international competitiveness of exposed firms. The study also considers incentive schemes for more efficient energy use that may be coupled with the privilege as more energy efficient firms are more resilient towards price increases and innovation in the efficiency realm may increase firms’ competitiveness.