SPD on climate and energy

The SPD stands by the goal that newly registered cars be fully climate-neutral and sees electric mobility as the most economically sensible path. As a transition, it wants to allow certain plug-in hybrids and vehicles with range extenders if they meet climate criteria. Suppliers would receive funding for the switch.

New cars should no longer harm the climate. The SPD keeps this goal. It backs electric cars. For a transition period, some hybrid cars should be allowed. Supplier companies get money for the switch.

According to the platform, the debate should be about how to implement the goal, not whether to. Any extra leeway for manufacturers would be tied to keeping jobs and sites in the state and to faster investment in emission-free mobility. Hybrids and range-extender vehicles would only be allowed if they contribute to net-zero emissions overall. State funds would help auto suppliers shift to electric mobility or into other industries. The SPD also wants to review which ministry is responsible for the energy sector.

The SPD wants to reach climate neutrality by 2040 and an 80 percent renewable share of electricity generation by 2030. To get there, the land target for wind power and photovoltaics is to rise to 3.2 percent of the state's area.

The SPD wants much more power from wind and sun. By 2030 it should be 80 percent. For this, more land is to be set aside for wind turbines and solar panels. By 2040 the state should no longer harm the climate.

The land target for wind and photovoltaics is to go from 2 percent per region to 3.2 percent statewide. Areas in the state-owned forest are to be allocated for wind power, with municipal projects given consideration where possible. The state is also to find, buy and prepare sites for permitting and then lease them for wind, solar, storage and hydrogen, preferably to municipal utilities or public-interest investors. A pool of sites for ground-mounted solar is planned, especially along transport routes. The roughly 8,000 state-owned properties are to be used for photovoltaics.

The SPD wants to invest in power grids, energy storage and charging infrastructure. The state itself is to take part in grid expansion because, according to the platform, this lowers grid fees and thus electricity prices.

The SPD wants to build more power lines. The state should take part in this itself. This is meant to keep electricity cheap. There should also be more storage for electricity. And there should be charging stations for electric cars everywhere.

Priority goes to expanding distribution and transmission grids; permitting is to become digital and faster. Smart meters are to be rolled out more quickly. A funding program is to support storage, especially decentralized solutions in municipalities, along with newer technologies such as redox flow systems and hydrogen storage. Charging stations for electric cars are to be built faster, particularly in rural areas, in neighborhoods with apartment buildings and on state-owned properties. A statewide charging network is planned for commercial vehicles. The SPD also backs the EU climate targets for transport.

The SPD wants hydrogen to be available everywhere in Baden-Württemberg within a few years. It sees hydrogen as key for industry and for preserving jobs.

Hydrogen is a gas that provides energy. The SPD wants hydrogen to be available across the state soon. This is meant to help industry. That way, jobs should be kept.

Support is planned for green hydrogen and regional electrolysis projects, meaning plants that produce hydrogen using electricity. The gas grid operator terranets bw is to be developed into a state infrastructure company. The platform calls for supporting hydrogen production capacity within the state. At the same time, partnerships with investors abroad are to be strengthened.

The SPD wants municipal and cooperative heating networks to be the core of the heating transition. Low-interest loans, guarantees and income-based subsidies are meant to make the switch manageable for people with little money as well.

The SPD wants to build more heating networks. A heating network brings heat through pipes to many homes. Cities and cooperatives should run the networks. People with little money should get more help.

Municipalities and local utilities are to get support in carrying out their heating plans, including low-interest loans from L-Bank (the state development bank) and guarantees. Utilities, especially EnBW, are to be required to offer affordable alternatives. Existing networks are to be converted to solar thermal, deep geothermal, large heat pumps and waste heat. Connection subsidies are to be tiered for low earners and backed by hardship funds. The state energy agency KEA-BW is to become a planning and advisory center for municipalities, alongside a skilled-worker strategy for grid and energy technology.

The SPD wants to shape the energy transition as a joint project and involve citizens in it. It relies on community energy, cooperatives, tenant electricity models and municipal participation.

The SPD wants people to be able to take part in energy projects. For example, in a cooperative. Renters should also be able to get power from their own roof. Permits should come faster.

Planning and permitting procedures are to become faster and more efficient. Business and labor unions are also to be involved. Companies that shift their production toward climate-friendly methods are to get investment certainty.