A Scoop of Ice Cream

r@raphaelbauer.com (Raphael Bauer) — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 10:00:00 +0200

On 30 July 2004, two days before the reformed Renewable Energy Sources Act (the EEG) came into force, the federal environment minister, Jürgen Trittin, gave Germans a number to hold on to. Es bleibt dabei, his ministry quoted him, it remains the case: supporting renewable energy costs an average household “nur rund 1 Euro im Monat”, only about one euro a month, “so viel wie eine Kugel Eis”, as much as a scoop of ice cream¹. This was the message chosen for the launch, not a slip in a hostile interview, and it stuck. The programme set out on the premise that the transition would cost next to nothing.

Energiewende on The Prosperitist

A Scoop of Ice Cream