Hans-Josef Fell: “It is sad to see Europe losing its technological advantage of the last years to China and the US”

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The Beam interview series, edition 17: Hans-Josef Fell

To lighten up your week and give you even more energizing thoughts, we publish interviews from our partner The Beam twice a week.

The Beam takes a modern perspective on the energy transition, interviewing inspirational people from around the world that shape our sustainable energy future.

This week, Anne-Sophie Garrigou, journalist at The Beam, interviewed Hans-Josef Fell, previous member of the German Parliament, and current President of the Energy Watch Group. Hans-Josef Fell joined the Green Party after years of interest in renewable energy and environmental protection and was a member of the German Parliament from 1998 to 2013. He helped to secure an increase in research funding for photovoltaics, geothermal energy, bioenergy, batteries for electric cars, bionics, and nanotechnology. Hans-Josef Fell also initiated legislation exempting biofuels from taxes, and was also actively involved in establishing the legislative framework for renewables at the European level.

Today, Hans-Josef Fell is the founder and president of the Energy Watch Group, a network of parliamentarians and independent researchers who conduct research on global energy developments. Here, Hans-Josef Fell talks about the Energy Watch Group, and the current and future state of renewables.

The Beam: What motivated you to join the Green Party in 1992 and inspire change in renewable energy?

Hans-Josef Fell: Since my time as a student in the 1970s, I have been interested in ecology, global warming and the peace movement. In the context of the OPEC oil crisis and the anti-nuclear movement, I envisioned that renewable energies must remove fossil and nuclear energy from its throne in the next decades. As the agenda of the German Green Party was the closest to this vision, I joined them.

You’ve always been a visionary leader in renewable energy and the future of our planet, which has seen Germany significantly change its mindset towards sustainability. Can you explain how your work over the past 20 years played a role in this?

Germany’s civil society with millions of people supporting renewable energy is a strong movement tackling global challenges. This grassroots movement has steadily gained more political power, for example with its foundation of the Green Party, leading to political action and new environmental legislation. Since I came from this movement, I always felt obliged to its commitment to renewable energy. Here I argued uncompromisingly for a circular economy based on 100% renewables and the zero emissions target. Beginning with my work at the NGO-level, I established a 100% renewable and ecological-friendly house in 1985. Afterwards I was elected as an alderman in my hometown Hammelburg. Here I organized the first local law for a renewable feed-in tariff in 1993 and the first worldwide community for solar electricity businesses. This experience made me able to promote the German feed-in tariff, which laid the groundwork for the tremendous ‘Industrial Revolution’ of renewables. Since 2000, I promoted renewables in many countries, e.g. as the chair of the German Chinese Parliamentary group in China. Now we are witnessing China emerge as the new world leader in renewables.

What has changed in terms of renewable energy since 1998?

Until 1998, political support for renewables was only on the research level but did not create conditions for its introduction into the market. To enable the renewables’ entry into the market and to scale them out on an industrial level, we introduced a framework for renewable energy legislation including the feed-in tariff. These instruments consequently minimized the costs of renewables. My main goal was to make climate protection economically lucrative. Germany’s transition to renewable energy was essential to make these technologies profitable and to help them expand rapidly worldwide.

What remains the main obstacles to the development of renewable energy today and in the future?

The businesses based on fossil and nuclear resources still play an important role in the world economy, especially in the energy, building, and transport sector. Therefore, many companies fear the deployment of renewables as new competition and are trying to prevent the global energy transition. Very often they involve media and lobby groups, sometimes they even influence politics and society in the public debate. This is the main obstacle, but as fossil fuel prices are falling, the financial ability of traditional energy companies is diminishing as well. We hope that this will lead to a decline of lobbying activities. The bankruptcy of the biggest private coal company, Peabody, in April 2016 shows us that we are on the edge of a transition to an emission-free economy — the only system, which will save our planet.

Which companies or organizations are the most interesting for you today for the future of renewable energy?

The most important drivers of renewables are the hundreds of thousands of highly innovative small and medium-sized enterprises. They include small manufacturers as well as energy communities, which are financing projects and innovations with the citizens’ private capital. Big companies like SAP, Google, Apple and now Tesla are pushing the market further, although energy is not their original business area. Traditional energy companies are losing ground at the same time. Moreover, Chinese and Asian companies are advancing and play a bigger role than ever. It is sad to see Europe losing its technological advantage of the last years to China and the U.S. In the long term, this will have dramatic consequences on future economic development in Europe.

Read the entire interview here.

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The Beam

The Beam Magazine is an independent climate solutions and climate action magazine. It tells about the most exciting solutions, makes a concrete contribution to eliminating climate injustices and preserving this planet for all of us in its diversity and beauty. Our cross-country team of editors works with a network of 150 local journalists in 50 countries talking to change makers and communities. THE BEAM is published in Berlin and distributed in nearly 1,000 publicly accessible locations, to companies, organizations and individuals in 40 countries across the world powered by FairPlanet.

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