Germany has drawn international attention for its energy policies in recent years. The term Energiewende – the country’s transition away from nuclear power to renewables with lower energy consumption – is now commonly used in English. The focus, however, has recently shifted to the role of coal in Germany.

This report focuses specifically on the topic of renewable energy for heating and cooling for two reasons. First, the heating and cooling sector contributes largely to energy consumption, and therefore the emission of greenhouse gases. Globally, heating and cooling accounts for an estimated 40-50% of final energy demand.