WWF Germany publishes country ranking on energy transition

08.09.2025

Source: E & M powernews

In an analysis, the environmental organization WWF Germany has compared the progress of the 16 federal states in the energy transition. Hamburg brings up the rear.

Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are at the forefront of the energy transition among the German federal states. This was determined by the WWF in a state comparison. The aim was to illustrate the transformational performance at the level of the federal states and their municipalities.

Twelve criteria in four areas were examined under the title "The big federal state ranking on the energy transition": renewable energies, transport and mobility, land use and nature conservation as well as buildings and heating.

Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania came out on top. These states are characterized by a high level of dynamism in the expansion of renewable energies.

Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania benefit in particular from their geographical location on the North Sea and Baltic Sea, which creates favorable conditions for wind energy. Brandenburg has also been able to make progress in the refurbishment of buildings.

The WWF document shows Brandenburg as the best-placed federal state with an average score of 4.50 in all areas examined. Schleswig-Holstein follows in second place with 5.83 and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in third place with 6.25. The scale of values ranges from 1 (best value) to 16 (worst value). Hesse ranks at the bottom, ahead of Baden-Württemberg and Hamburg. The Hanseatic city occupies last place with an average score of 10.33.

No "all-encompassing and conclusive picture"

The ranking is based on a selection of key figures that are intended to reflect the development in the central fields of action. Not all existing indicators were taken into account, but only selected criteria. "It therefore does not claim to provide an all-encompassing and conclusive picture of the transformation," the analysis states. The WWF therefore sees the study as a snapshot intended to highlight progress and the need for action.

The results show that the federal states perform very differently in individual categories. While the northern German states are ahead in terms of electricity generation from renewables, Brandenburg achieves comparatively good results in the energy-efficient refurbishment of existing buildings. Saarland, on the other hand, has the highest proportion of nature conservation areas, although it ranks in the lower midfield.

The WWF makes it clear that all federal states are called upon to drive the transformation forward quickly. "The energy transition is about our livelihoods. And we need the efforts of Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt and Bremen to achieve this. In the end, hesitation and dithering policies will not only harm the people in our own federal state, but in Germany as a whole," says Viviane Raddatz, Head of Climate at WWF Germany.

The WWF publication "From the coast to the countryside to the mountains: The major federal state ranking on the energy transition " is available to download from the association's website.

Author: Stefan Sagmeister