Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (The Greens) wants to decide on subsidies for the German solar industry. A heated argument broke out about how these should be designed. picture alliance | Sebastian Gabriel | Reuters/Annegret Hilse | Fleig/Eibner press photo | dpa/Simon Kremer | Graphics: Dominik Schmitt
The escalation begins at the turn of the month. It has a history, spanning weeks and months, about Brussels and Berlin. But the dispute over the direction of the German government is finally breaking out Solar industry on a Saturday, February 3rd, at noon.
At this point in time, an exchange begins in the Federal Association of the Solar Industry (BSW) about subsidies for European solar production proposed by the BSW and considered by the Federal Government. Business Insider has the internal correspondence.
The leaders of the discussion are BSW board member Carsten Körnig on the one hand and Philipp Schröder, CEO of the solar startup 1Komma5°, on the other. Over the days it goes back and forth, numbers and calculations are sent to each other. Schröder criticizes and questions the subsidy demands supported by the BSW, Körner defends them.
On February 5th, Wednesday, Schröder announced his company’s withdrawal from the BSW; On Friday, 1Komma5° will make its withdrawal from the solar association public. What’s more: The start-up is questioning its previous plans to set up its own solar production in Germany.
A drastic step that has flared up a long-simmering conflict within the German solar industry. A conflict that is about nothing less than the future of the entire economic sector – and which is currently being fought more aggressively than ever before.