FDP on climate and energy

The FDP commits to greenhouse gas neutrality for the state by 2045 and wants to get there through research, new technologies and a technology-neutral approach. It rejects climate protection based on sacrifice; climate protection and growth are meant to go together.

NRW should be climate neutral by 2045. That means the state no longer harms the climate. The FDP wants to do this with new technology. It does not want people to have to give things up.

The platform calls for practice-oriented degree programs on climate and structural change, support for university spin-offs and broader research investment. Money from the structural support fund is to be usable for climate-friendly structural policy. Industry is to become a "Low Carbon Industry": carbon should come less from fossil sources, be kept in cycles, and be captured and used or stored. The FDP wants to support developing and emerging countries on climate protection through technology transfer.

The FDP wants to extend emissions trading to all sectors and as many countries as possible. It considers this the most effective and also the cheapest tool for meeting climate targets.

Anyone who emits CO2 needs certificates for it. This is called emissions trading. The FDP wants to extend this trading to all areas. This should bring CO2 emissions down.

According to the platform, the federal government and the EU are responsible first; in the long run, trading should apply worldwide. The FDP argues it secures climate neutrality and the 1.5-degree goal while finding the lowest-cost solutions. To avoid competitive disadvantages and companies relocating, the party favors protection against carbon leakage. That includes continued free certificates for CO2-intensive industries.

The FDP wants to cut the electricity tax to the minimum allowed in the EU and replace subsidies under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) with a market model. This is meant to offset the added costs of climate protection and relieve people on low incomes.

Climate protection makes some things cost more. So the FDP wants to cut the tax on electricity sharply. Support for green power should also work differently. People with little money should pay less.

The platform wants to keep climate protection from becoming a social issue. In the FDP's view, subsidies under the EEG burden consumers and should give way to a market-based model. The party still considers price signals toward climate-friendlier products important. It welcomes the federal government's plan to abolish the EEG surcharge.

The FDP wants an energy supply that is reliable, environmentally friendly and competitively priced. To that end, large power plants are to switch from coal to gas in the short term, grids for electricity, gas and heat are to be expanded quickly, and storage is to be promoted.

The FDP wants safe and clean energy at good prices. Power plants should use gas instead of coal for now. The networks for power, gas and heat should grow quickly. There should be more ways to store energy.

Alongside more renewables, the platform cites the later use of green hydrogen for power and heat and the market ramp-up of power-to-X processes. More incentives for battery storage are planned, and the FDP backs the federal plan to define storage legally as its own pillar of the energy system. Competitive prices are always to be taken into account, with energy-intensive industry in mind. The battery cell research factory in Münster is to be strengthened, and universities are to accompany the transition and train skilled workers.

The FDP considers a faster exit from coal-fired power necessary, ideally by 2030. It wants to reach climate neutrality through competitive solutions rather than coercion. State-owned enterprises are to lead by example.

The FDP wants to stop using coal sooner. Ideally this should happen by 2030. The FDP does not want to force people. It relies on competition and new technology. State-owned companies should set an example.

The platform points out that North Rhine-Westphalia met its 2020 climate targets as early as 2018. Businesses are to be supported in developing solutions that can also be used elsewhere. State-owned enterprises are to follow the German Sustainability Code and thus lead the way for municipalities. The energy supply strategy updated in 2021 is to remain the roadmap and secure affordable energy and the state's industrial base.

The FDP wants more than 55 percent of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030. Wind energy expansion is to double and photovoltaics to at least triple. To achieve this, permits are to be sped up and new areas opened for use.

The FDP wants much more power from wind and sun. By 2030, more than half of all power should come from them. Permits should be faster. Solar panels should also go on building walls and over highways.

Solar systems are also to be allowed on facades, and highways are to be roofed with solar modules where this is economically and practically feasible. For tenant electricity (Mieterstrom), requirements the FDP sees as too high are to be lowered. Citizens should be able to take a financial stake in projects to increase acceptance. In addition, hydropower, biomass from waste, geothermal energy, mine-water heat, mine gas and combined heat and power are to be used, and obstacles to floating and agri-photovoltaics removed. Gas plants convertible to hydrogen are seen as part of the solution, and a training drive in the skilled trades is meant to secure workers.

The FDP wants to push the build-up of a hydrogen economy and make North Rhine-Westphalia the leading model region. For the ramp-up, hydrogen from any production method is to be used, including hydrogen from natural gas for a transitional period. It also calls for a European Hydrogen Union.

Hydrogen is a gas that can store energy. The FDP wants the state to be a model for hydrogen. At first, every type of hydrogen should be allowed. Later it should mostly come from wind and solar power. Europe should work together on this.

The platform sees hydrogen as key for industry, especially green steelmaking, and as a pillar of the future energy system. In the long run, mainly green hydrogen from renewables is to be used, much of which would have to be imported. Until then, the FDP also relies on blue and turquoise hydrogen from natural gas, where the carbon is stored, to obtain large volumes quickly at acceptable prices. The measures in the state's 2020 hydrogen roadmap are to be continued and expanded.

The FDP wants to advance the digitization of the energy transition and cut red tape to do so. Installing smart meters is to become easier, and more is to be invested in smart grids. Consumers should be able to both produce and use electricity.

The FDP wants to make the energy system digital. Smart power meters should be easier to install. People should be able to make and use their own power. Electric cars should store power and give it back. The data must stay safe.

According to the platform, digitization is crucial for energy efficiency, flexible rates and security of supply. The interplay of electricity, heat and mobility is meant to save CO2. As an example, the FDP cites electric cars that serve as local temporary storage through two-way charging and help stabilize the grid. IT and data security are to play a core role in protecting this critical infrastructure.