Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

Version

Final Published Version

Abstract

Germany was an early leader in the energy transition. In contrast to the country’s general top-down policymaking style, the Energiewende proceeded from the bottom up, through the activism of small innovators and local communities. The 2000 Renewable Energy Sources Act supported the local transition primarily through feed-in tariffs. The locally based Energiewende yielded diverse benefits, including climate resilience, economic vitality, and community efficacy. Technological challenges, however, combined with pressure from incumbent utilities, led the German government to shift back toward a more centralized model. As community ownership stalled, local opposition to facilities imposed from outside grew, slowing the transition and diminishing its legitimacy. After 2021, the traffic light coalition moved to restore the diversity of participants by incentivizing those forms of renewable energy favored by citizen energy organizations. This is a hopeful sign that the people-powered energy transition is still within reach, so long as these incentives remain in place.

DOI

doi:10.3167/gps.2026.4402-303

Volume

44

Issue

150

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