The German turnaround : an analysis of the strategic communication of the Bavarian state towards its citizens

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the communication strategy of the Bavarian state towards its citizens. The promotion of the Energiewende is one of the major tasks the German government has faced so far. Bavaria as the largest state in Germany plays a key role in the energy transformation process and has set itself the task to play a pioneering role in the energy turnaround. While the ambitious targets for 2020, 2030 and 2050 are currently set on an European and German level, it is increasingly recognized that social acceptance is slowly decreasing. Addressing the thematic to the citizens, the municipalities and the Bavarian industry sector, requires a lot of engagement as well as clear and transparent information. In the last few years a body of literature has been devoted to the main issues of the Energiewende (technological aspects, infrastructural innovations, grid instability, feed-in tariffs,...). However, it is argued that more research needs to be done in the field of the strategic implementation of communication within the process of the energy transformation. Besides literature research, a qualitiative semi-structured interview was conducted with 33 people from policy, municipality, industry and the society. The focus was laid on Bavaria and on two of the most important forms of renewable energies: Solar and wind energy. The survey showed that the inadequacies of the Energiewende are deeply rooted and the trust of society is connected to the quantity and quality of clear and transparent information, offered by the state and is multipliers. It turned out that the strategic concept of the Bavarian government was not familiar to the interviewees, however, the awareness and the will to invest in renewable energies and to save energy was almost entirely given.