25 February 2026
A conversation on lessons from Germany’s solar energy transition: what the Energiewende (Germany’s energy transition) means for communities around the world.As countries and communities race to scale solar energy amid geopolitical strains, energy volatility, and rising system complexity, the lessons from early solar pioneers are more relevant than ever.COPx hosted this conversation between Hans Josef Fell, one of the architects of Germany’s solar-led energy transition, and Martin Frick, a global leader working at the intersection of climate, energy systems, and economic stability.
Together, they explore how Germany used solar power as a foundation for its broader energy transition, what policy and community-level decisions made rapid solar deployment possible, what nearly derailed progress, and how these lessons can be applied by communities and governments in political and economic contexts everywhere around the world.This 75-minute session, moderated by Paul Rowland, Chief Operating Officer at Environment Next, connects the origins of Germany’s solar transition with today’s challenge of how communities can accelerate solar deployment while maintaining political durability, economic competitiveness, and public trust.Rather than revisiting climate ambition in the abstract, they examine the mechanics of real-world solar transitions: policy certainty, local ownership, grid integration, financing structures, and the institutional conditions required to sustain momentum over decades.
They discuss:
– How Germany used solar power to anchor its broader energy transition
– What communities can do today to accelerate rooftop and local solar deployment
– Why long-term policy certainty is critical for scaling solar investment
– The political and economic trade-offs embedded in solar-led transitions
– How energy independence through solar has become a strategic priority worldwide
– What governments, investors, and local leaders can learn from first-wave solar adopters
About the speakers:
Widely recognised as one of the founding figures of Germany’s solar-driven energy transition, Hans Josef Fell, as a German Parliamentarian, co-authored the 2000 Renewable Energy Sources Act. This established the feed-in tariff model that unlocked widespread rooftop and community-scale solar, catalyzed rapid deployment, and inspired clean energy policy frameworks around the world.Dr. Frick brings a global systems perspective shaped by decades of work in climate, energy, food security, and geopolitical risk. His experience in and out of government focuses on how large-scale transitions succeed or fail when policy design, capital flows, and community trust collide.
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