E.ON's CEO calls on Germany to lower the priority of wind and solar energy for grid connections.

Germany should prioritize consumers over wind and solar farms for future grid connections, according to E.ON CEO Leonhard Birnbaum in an interview with the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

“Renewables have prevailed — they provide over 60% of our electricity now,” Birnbaum stated. “At this point, it’s no longer sensible to heavily subsidize new capacity, particularly when adding another wind turbine results in more costs with minimal benefits.”

Birnbaum emphasized that favoring renewable energy facilities at the cost of businesses is no longer suitable and called for a policy change from the German government.

“The top priority for grid connections should be given to those who create jobs,” he asserted.

He also urged the government to remove what he views as unnecessary subsidies for solar projects.

“While the annual costs for the fixed feed-in tariff for new solar power may seem minor,” Birnbaum noted, “the subsidy typically lasts for 20 years, leading to billions in total.”