Their votes in the federal election will determine if the next government pursues a dangerous path of harsh cuts to feed-in tariffs (FITs) — and probably more industry bankruptcies — or a bold new push towards an economy driven by green power.

“All eyes are on Germany,” says Marc Mühlenbach, senior analyst at IHS Emerging Energy Research. “The Energiewende [Germany’s transition away from nuclear power to renewables] is a test case.