Regensburg's water utility, REWAG, promoting green energy sales over actual green energy production, raising questions about transparency and sincerity.
Regensburg's Energy Provider, REWAG, Claims to Promote Local Hydropower but Depends Heavily on European Certificates
Research by our team has uncovered that while REWAG promotes self-generated hydropower from the region, the majority of its green power comes from purchased certificates in European countries. This contradicts the supplier's advertising efforts, which heavily emphasize locally sourced renewable energy.
Upon closer examination, it appears that REWAG purchases electrical energy from Uniper, a power plant group, for their green power tariff. Originally, this green power was generated at the Pfaffensteiner weir but is now being produced in a run-of-the-river power plant on the Danube, according to a REWAG spokesperson.
Despite advertising tariffs like "100% from Regensburg" or "exclusively green power from the Uniper hydropower plant," REWAG has obfuscated the true origin of their green power. Critics have labeled this practice as "greenwashing," a strategy some municipal utilities use instead of actively investing in sustainable energy transitions in their region.
While REWAG has been purchasing energy from Uniper since 2016, the amounts vary significantly from year to year. In the business year 2023, REWAG bought over 38.5 million kilowatt-hours of renewable power from Uniper. However, this amount constitutes less than four percent of the total renewable electricity REWAG sells, according to their business report.
It appears that REWAG's green power is not as local as they claim. An analysis of REWAG's electricity labeling reveals that the majority of their hydropower comes from certificates from various European countries. A substantial portion comes from Norway, France, Italy, and Germany.
REWAG's hydropower sourcing is not transparent, as they do not disclose the proportion of hydropower in their labeling, despite promoting it as a high-quality green electricity source. When asked for clarification, REWAG's press office provided information stating that roughly 57 percent of their energy mix is hydropower. However, it is unclear where this hydropower, in addition to the Danube power plant, comes from.
Uniper refuses to provide concrete numbers regarding the Danube power plant's performance and electricity generation. At a panel discussion in Regensburg, a spokesperson for Uniper denied that the local hydropower plant could help balance solar power peaks by storing excess energy for later release. Instead, they stated that it is not possible due to technical reasons and the need to maintain the water level of a federal waterway.
In the early 1990s, the hydroelectric power plant at the Pfaffensteiner weir was sold to E.ON during a major privatization wave. Currently, Uniper, a spin-off of E.ON, operates the plant. The Bayernwerk, headquartered in Regensburg and the largest regional grid operator in Bavaria, is a pure E.ON subsidiary, owning 35.48% of REWAG KG.
While REWAG promotes its certified green power as a "renewable energy source directly from Regensburg," there is no evidence of an expansion of renewable energy sources in REWAG's current practice. The company claims that a part of the relatively high tariff is invested in the expansion of renewable energies and innovative energy transition projects. However, the lack of tangible evidence raises questions about the legitimacy of these claims.
Many environmental organizations argue that such practices, while legally permissible, hinder the energy transition. Companies may advertise the use of green electricity but invest little in climate protection and the energy transition, circumventing the construction of their own facilities or sustainable supply contracts with local green electricity producers. This assessment applies to REWAG's current strategy.
The research findings reveal that although REWAG advertises locally sourced renewable energy, the majority of their green power comes from European certificates, including from Norway, France, Italy, and Germany. Furthermore, the true origin of their green power is unclear, leading to concerns about transparency in the industry and the practice of greenwashing.
While a portion of REWAG's energy mix is hydropower, it's not entirely clear where this hydropower originates besides the Danube power plant. The company claims to invest in the expansion of renewable energies and innovative energy transition projects, but questions have been raised about the legitimacy of these claims due to the lack of tangible evidence.
The reliance on certificates and purchased green power rather than local renewable energy projects is a contentious issue in the environmental-science field, as critics argue it hinders the transition to sustainable energy sources. This issue has significant financial implications for the future of renewable energy and climate-change mitigation efforts.
In light of these findings, it's important for REWAG to increase transparency, disclose the proportion of hydropower in their energy mix, and invest more actively in locally sourced renewable energy projects to support the energy industry and environmental conservation.
