BERLIN, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Germany aimed to reduce the country's primary energy consumption by 30 percent by 2030, compared to the 2008 level, the Ministry for Economic Affairs announced on Wednesday.
The German government decided on an energy efficiency strategy in the day, in which a target for the year 2030 was set for the first time, according to the ministry.
With this "ambitious goal", Germany would also play its part in ensuring that the energy efficiency target of 2030 set by the European Union would be met, it said.
According to the ministry, more energy efficiency was the key for combining economic growth, a sustainable energy supply and climate protection in Germany.
"In recent years, we have already succeeded in uncoupling our growth from energy consumption," said Minister for Economic Affairs Peter Altmaier.
In addition to reducing energy consumption by 30 percent, Altmaier said further expansion of renewable energies was the "premise for the success" of the energy transition and climate protection in Germany.
"We welcome the efforts of the government," a spokesperson of the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) told Xinhua on Wednesday. "Energy efficiency is an important building block in achieving climate protection goals."
BEE estimated that the demand for renewable as well as fossil fuel energy generation in Germany would rise from 600 TWh at present to over 700 TWh by 2030, particularly driven by the expansion of electric mobility.
Pushing the expansion of renewable energies would be "indispensable" for the German government. "Otherwise we will have many electric cars afterwards but not enough green energy to power them," the BEE spokesperson said.
