1.    The necessary legal framework conditions have to be set up on at least four different legislative levels. These will be the global level, the EU level as well as the national and state level in Germany. Every level plays an important role for a successful build-up of a future sustainable energy system.

2.    The implementation of a worldwide trading system for emission certificates is important for the competitiveness of renewable energy technologies and a fair distribution of the climate and environmental protection costs.

3.    The European Union must make sure that the following bullet points among others are promoted by a suitable legal framework in order to support the transition to a completely sustainable energy system:

a.    Enable and support the import of electricity generated from renewable energies from third countries, e.g. North African countries.
b.    Ensure the crossborder expansion of an electricity grid infrastructure that has enough capacity and is designed to meet the future grid requirements.
c.    Create framework conditions for the integration of an increasing share of renewable energy generation into the European electricity grid system
d.    Support and advance renewable energy technologies
e.    Cultivate the EU Emission Trade System (ETS)

4.    The alteration of the energy supply demands civil and commercial solutions to make sure that a sustainable energy system is supported by the society. Therefore, the driving force for this alteration should be the society and not only state institutions. For this reason state framework conditions should be preferred instead of strict state standards. Standards and laws should only be set if really necessary –then, however, rigorously and consistently.

5.    Especially in the seven fields mentioned below, Germany must set up legal framework conditions, which support and advance the renewable energies or at least do not hinder their further development. These fields are:
a.    Electricity generation
b.    Generation and supply of heat
c.    Mobility and transport sector
d.    Increase of energy efficiency
e.    Expansion of the electricity grid infrastructure
f.    Regulations for the creation of intelligent electricity grids
g.    Creation of sufficient energy storage capacities.

6.    A complete revision of the legal framework conditions concerning energy issues to build up a sustainable energy system is inevitable. In addition to the seven fields mentioned above, the following issues must be set about:

a.    Introduction of minimum generation quotas for electricity and heat generation from renewable energies which are binding for all utilities and which are continuously increased, taking the American Renewable Portfolio Standards as a good example.
b.    Enabling of a longterm, nationwide capacity planning through the transmission system operators (TSOs) that must be harmonized with the European electricity grid system. The TSOs could then tender new energy generation or storage capacities, taking into account the minimum generation quotas. By these tenders, market mechanisms would still be enforced.
c.    Securing ongoing support of renewable energies by the Renewable Energy Law (EEG) to push the renewable energies towards competitiveness as soon as possible and to make state subsidies dispensable.
d.    Adoption of a Renewable Energy Storage Technology Act to support a marketbased, competitive and efficient expansion of energy storage capacities. Only with new energy storage capacities it will be possible to handle the increasing electricity generation by wind and photovoltaic energy.
e.    Creation of an energy trading system at the European electricity exchange (EEX) that projects a market-based solution for the increasing feed-in of re-newable energies into the grid. This market-based solution should also enable a smooth integration of fossil and renewable energy sources during the transition period to a completely sustainable energy system.

7.    Support of the expansion of renewable energies also on the state level, amongst others by the following measures:
a.    Expulsion of at least two percent of every state area as wind energy priority regions
b.    Enablement of wind energy generation in forests and, only if compatible with sustainability requirements, also in nature reserve areas; only specific expulsion of exclusion areas.
c.    Design of regional development and environmental laws in a way that a sustainable energy system can become reality.