"2018 - that was a year in which we could look back on 20 years of successful work for the energy transition. In the course of the liberalization of the electricity market in Germany in the mid-1990s, the idea for a high-quality label for green electricity was born. This is how the eco-label Grüner Strom was founded in 1998," explains Dietmar Oeliger, Chairman of Grüner Strom Label e.V. The activity report for the past year, which has now been published, shows the fruits of the association's successful work for the energy transition.

For example, around 1.3 terawatt hours of green electricity were certified in 2018. This corresponds to the energy needs of over 400,000 households that rely on Grüner Strom-certified energy products. Compared to 2017, the certified green electricity volume increased by a good twelve percent. However, not all green electricity is the same, as the managing director of Grüner Strom Label e.V., Daniel Craffonara, explains: "A low-emission and ecological energy supply is a cornerstone for tackling the climate crisis. However, most so-called green electricity products have no measurable impact on the expansion of renewable energies. But we must press ahead with this. Because climate change is already in full swing and we don't have an Earth 2.0."

Other important achievements in the past year included,

• ... that numerous sustainable projects could be supported - thanks to the investments guaranteed by the Grüner Strom-Label. Since 1998, approximately 55 million euros have flowed into more than 1,300 energy transition projects.
• ... that the sister label Green Gas recorded growing demand: 20 percent more consumers purchased biogas from environmentally friendly production.
• ... that in 2018, for the first time, not only energy transition projects were funded by the Grüner Strom-Label, but also concrete nature and species conservation measures.
• ...that we are expanding our commitment to the key topic of e-mobility and have published a new brochure on this subject.

Facts about the labels Green Electricity and Green gas, examples for Promoted energy transition projects and information on the persons acting in the association are summarized compactly in the activity report.

In 2018, about 1.3 TWh and thus again more than one billion kWh of green electricity were certified

The number of customers of certified biogas products continues to increase.