Grüne on climate and energy

The Greens want climate action to start where people suffer most from environmental effects. According to the platform, this mainly affects people with low incomes, women, and older people, even though they cause less CO₂. People on public benefits should get easier access to subsidies, for example for balcony solar units.

The Greens say: Poor and older people suffer most from the climate crisis. But they cause little CO₂. So climate action should help these people first. People who get money from the state should get subsidies more easily. One example is a small solar unit for the balcony.

The platform calls the climate crisis a crisis of fairness and climate policy a policy of fairness. People receiving public benefits should get help with little red tape so they can use subsidy programs; the text names balcony solar units as an example. According to the Greens, climate policy already protects quality of life and health today. Berlin should also become resilient to the effects of the climate crisis.

The Greens want Berlin's energy to come entirely from renewable sources while staying secure and affordable. According to the platform, investing in renewables keeps prices stable and creates independence from fossil fuels. These mostly come from states with authoritarian governments.

The Greens want Berlin to use only renewable energy. That means power from sun and wind, for example. The energy should be secure and affordable. Berlin should then no longer need oil and gas from other countries.

The Greens want Berlin to become a climate-neutral and social pioneer city. Besides renewable energy, this includes urban greenery that cools the city and careful use of water, which should be kept in the city. The platform argues that more climate protection also means more prosperity in terms of quality of life. The Greens also favor a circular economy and the common good over waste and profit-driven thinking.

The Greens want Berlin to become climate neutral by 2040 and point to Hamburg as a model. Binding targets and clear responsibilities are to apply. The Berlin Energy and Climate Protection Program is to be adopted quickly.

The Greens want Berlin to be climate neutral by 2040. That means the city no longer harms the climate. So far the goal is the year 2045. There should be fixed targets and clear responsibilities.

The platform accuses the CDU-SPD state government of missing the 2030 climate targets through its budget policy and endangering the current 2045 goal. The Greens want to put the roadmap for climate neutrality and climate adaptation on a new footing and set priorities. The Energy and Climate Protection Program should take up the recommendations of the citizens' climate assembly. Alongside the transport transition, the platform sees the heating transition as decisive for the climate targets.

The Greens want every state law and measure to be reviewed for its climate impact. Climate protection would thus become a task for every department of the Senate (Berlin's state government). If requirements of Berlin's climate protection law are missed, action programs would be mandatory.

The Greens want a climate check. This means Berlin reviews every new law. Is it good or bad for the climate? All parts of the government should pay attention to the climate. If Berlin breaks its climate rules, it must make a new plan.

According to the platform, reaching the climate targets requires a coordinated and systematic approach by the entire Senate. The climate check is meant to ensure that climate impact plays a role in decisions in every policy area. The Greens also demand that existing law be applied. When the climate protection law is violated, action programs must be drawn up and carried out.

The Greens want to move Berlin's district heating and power supply away from fossil fuels faster and shut down the gas grid in the long run. At the same time, more buildings should get energy retrofits, starting with those in the worst condition. This is meant to protect tenants from rising fossil energy costs.

Berlin mostly heats with gas and coal today. The Greens want to change that. District heating should come from renewable sources. The gas grid should be shut down later. More buildings should be insulated better. This way tenants should not pay too much for heating.

According to the platform, about 90 percent of Berlin's district heating comes from natural gas and hard coal plants, and only around six percent of heat in homes is renewable. The Greens name waste heat from industry, businesses, and data centers, heat from wastewater and bodies of water, and geothermal energy as sources that are barely used so far. The retrofit rate should rise significantly. For the heat planning available from 2026, structures should be created, obstacles removed, and funding tools strengthened.

The Greens want to advance new local heating networks in neighborhoods and fund cooperatives for them, both at founding and for investments. Berlin's district offices should steer heat planning locally and get permanent heating transition managers. Public buildings should connect to the networks as reliable customers.

Local heating means: A small network supplies several buildings with heat. The Greens want more of these networks. Citizens can found a cooperative for this. The state should give money for it. In every district, specific people should take care of this topic.

The platform sees local heating networks as a very efficient way to use renewable energy and waste heat for whole neighborhoods. Districts, the state, and the federal government should bring their properties within reach of the networks in as anchor customers so that projects can go ahead. Funding for heating transition managers in the districts should be secured. The Greens want to bring back the abolished service office for neighborhood energy retrofits; it should also help make use of the federal program for energy-related urban renewal.

The Greens want to subsidize heat pump installation with state programs that add to federal programs and fill gaps. The state should pay costs directly so that no one has to advance the money. Leasing and contracting models should also qualify for funding, along with free advice.

A heat pump heats without gas or oil. The Greens want more heat pumps in Berlin. The state should give money for this. People should not have to pay the money first themselves. People should also be able to pay for a heating system in monthly payments. There should be free advice.

The funding is aimed mainly at areas with single- and two-family homes, but also at apartment buildings where the technology fits. The platform justifies state funding by saying the federal government is calling heat pump subsidies into question and that investors need certainty. People who cannot afford their own share or a loan from KfW (the federal development bank) should still be able to replace their heating. The Greens want to examine how low-income households can be supported more directly. The free, independent advice service "BAUinfo Berlin" is to become a central point of contact and be secured permanently.

The Greens want the state-owned district heating company BEW to rely on large heat pumps, deep geothermal energy and waste heat. They reject burning wood and using green hydrogen for heating, and want less waste incineration at the Klingenberg site. Customers, employees and civil society are to have a binding say in the transition.

The Greens want district heating in Berlin to be carbon-neutral. District heating is heat that reaches many buildings through pipes. The company BEW belongs to the state of Berlin. It should use heat from the ground and from wastewater. It should not burn wood for this.

According to the platform, the operators' current plans are not enough to reach carbon neutrality by 2045. The party considers wood-fired plants not truly carbon-neutral and a threat to forests, and sees green hydrogen as too scarce and too expensive for the foreseeable future. Instead, BEW is to tap local heat sources such as waste heat from data centers or wastewater. Decarbonizing heat generation is to take priority over expanding the network, and pricing is to be transparent. Shallow geothermal energy is to be made easier, with drilling also allowed in public street space. Public buildings and state-owned housing companies are to use modern heating control systems across the board.

The Greens consider the natural gas distribution grid unsuitable for conversion to carbon-neutral use and want to shut down unneeded sections over time. Only for industrial and commercial sites with no other option should part of it become a green hydrogen network. Customers are to be informed early and protected from rising grid costs.

The Greens want to shut down Berlin's natural gas network bit by bit. Only some companies should later get hydrogen through the network. Customers should be told early. They should not have to pay more for the network than before.

The platform expects that a large part of the gas grid will no longer be needed in the medium to long term. The party wants to hold talks on this with the utility GASAG. It aims for GASAG's 25 percent stake in the Berliner Energieagentur (Berlin Energy Agency) to be transferred to the agency itself. The agency, then back in public hands, is to give independent advice on the energy transition to public and private actors on behalf of the state. End customers are to be involved in the shutdown process.

The Greens want to raise solar power's share of Berlin's electricity significantly, relying above all on the roofs of public buildings. By 2030, solar panels are to be installed there wherever technically feasible. An implementation plan with priorities, timelines and verifiable targets is meant to ensure this.

The Greens want more power from the sun in Berlin. All public buildings should have solar panels by 2030. This applies where it is technically possible. There should be a firm plan for this. Parking lots should also produce solar power.

In the platform's view, the rollout is too slow despite the existing solar mandate, and many suitable roofs remain unused. The boroughs are to receive the resources they need for their tasks. Paved areas such as parking lots are also to be used for solar power. The "SolarPLUS" funding program is to be strengthened, and climate protection is to be given more weight relative to heritage protection. The SolarZentrum Berlin is to grow into a central hub for advice and coordination.

The Greens want tenants to benefit directly from solar power. Tenant electricity and shared building supply are to become the norm, and state-owned housing companies are to approve balcony solar units more easily and uniformly. The rollout of smart meters is also to be sped up.

The Greens want tenants to be able to use solar power too. Solar power from the roof of your own building should become normal. Balcony solar units should be easier to get approved. This applies to homes owned by state housing companies. There should also be money for power storage.

The plan includes simpler procedures and funding that also covers small roofs. State-owned housing companies are to lead by example. For balcony solar units, the party also wants to subsidize battery storage. Cooperatives and neighborhood-wide solutions are to be supported. The state-owned grid operator Stromnetz Berlin is to speed up smart meter installation so that more households and businesses can use variable tariffs. Digitalizing the grids is meant to lower the cost of grid expansion.

The Greens want to designate wind energy areas in Berlin in line with federal requirements. Mainly already paved commercial and industrial sites are to be used, while forests are generally to be left alone because of their protective and recreational role. Residents are to share in the revenue.

The Greens want to build wind turbines in Berlin. The turbines should mainly stand on commercial and industrial land. Forests should mostly stay free of them. People living nearby should get money from the turbines.

The party wants to choose sites that can hold several turbines and are ecologically acceptable. The required distances from residential areas are to apply. Roundtables with all stakeholders and local residents are meant to reduce conflicts with nature conservation early on. Revenue is to reach neighbors, for example through community-run operating models. In addition, innovative wind projects are to be funded and pilot projects for small wind turbines on high-rise buildings supported.

The Greens want to cut energy use because, in their view, carbon neutrality can only be reached with frugal consumption. To that end, energy-saving contracting is to be carried out anew in as many public facilities as possible. Under this model, a service provider implements savings measures and is paid from the energy costs saved.

The Greens want Berlin to use less energy. Public facilities should sign contracts with specialist companies for this. The companies help save energy. Businesses should save energy too. There should be a network for that.

The platform describes the model as already tried and successful. In addition, a cooperation network with companies is to be set up. Within it, energy audits and other tools are to show where businesses can save energy. The savings identified are then to be put into practice.