Although renewable energy investments are not characterized by climate change mitigation as their primary objective, they still target activities that are related to the reduction of GHG emissions and are thus crucial for the transition to a low-carbon economy. The paper offers an analysis of the peculiarity of the German public finance framework aimed at renewable energy financing. On the one hand, it quantifies the amount of public financial capital, and types of financial instruments, devoted to renewable energy starting from 2010. On the other hand, it finds a strong relationship between public funding and the mobilization of private renewable energy investments. Our results point out that, despite the rapid growth of renewable energy investments in the past decades and the progressive reduction of GHG emissions, the country is facing difficulties in meeting the desired targets.
