German MPs have passed legislation that envisages shutting down the country's last coal-fired power plant by 2038.
But environmental protesters are angry at what they see as a drawn-out timetable for Germany's energy transition.
Greenpeace activists hung a huge banner on Germany's parliament building demanding a future without coal.
Germany is already phasing out nuclear power and the government envisions greater reliance on renewable energy as well as hydrogen and natural gas in the future.