The move to sustainable energy resources must be given priority, said BDEW chairwoman Kerstin Andreae at a congress in Berlin on Wednesday, with an eye on national elections on September 26.

Wind power in Germany must be doubled by 2030, Andreae said. Solar energy and the charging station infrastructure for electric cars must also be massively expanded, she said.

Heating systems in buildings across the country need to be updated, she said.

“We have to act now,” said BDEW president Marie-Luise Wolff. When it comes to replacing heating systems, the application for a loan needs to be “brutally” simplified, she said.

Wolff warned about rising electricity prices – a phenomenon not only in Germany but across Europe.

Government representative Jochen Flasbarth, the state secretary for the environment, said that many things should have been done more quickly during the last legislative period. He pointed the finger at conflicts between the Social Democrat-led Environment Ministry and the Christian Democrat-led Economy Ministry.