Economics Veronika Grimm opposes a possible ban on oil and gas heating from 2024. One possible consequence is inefficiency.
Munich – “Wirtschaftsweise” Veronika Grimm speaks out against a general ban on the installation of new gas heating systems. This would be wrong, she said Süddeutsche Zeitung from Wednesday. “The government could shoot itself in the knee with such bans.” One possible consequence is inefficiency, “if companies cannot use gas and later hydrogen for heating”. In addition, perhaps due to the lack of skilled workers and material bottlenecks, heat pumps could not be manufactured quickly enough to replace gas heating, said the economist from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.
Economy Grimm: expand renewable energies faster
Instead of a ban, Grimm, who advises the government in the Advisory Council, would rely on price signals: “Increase the CO2 price in the heating sector to such an extent that installing gas heating systems becomes unattractive and replacing old heating systems becomes attractive,” she suggested. In addition, the government must provide more incentives to save energy and expand renewable energies such as wind and solar energy more quickly.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced on Monday after the federal cabinet meeting in Schloss Meseberg that by 2030 four to five new wind turbines would have to be set up every day and the equivalent of more than 40 football pitches full of solar systems every day. Grimm said: “The government wants to be four times as fast as planned, but unfortunately it doesn’t look like it at all.” The government must speed up the planning and approval of plants.
Economy Grimm: Stop talking about de-industrialization
The economy warned that one had to stop “talking about deindustrialization or even propagating it”. If you drive out the industry, emit it elsewhere, where there are more lax rules. “Instead, we should show how an economy can be made more climate-friendly without sacrificing growth. In doing so, we are providing a role model that might inspire others not just to burn cheap coal.” (dpa/AFP/df)