Climate change may shift European power demand to south - study
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
Rising temperatures associated with the man-made effect on global climate are likely to shift the bulk of Europe鈥檚 power demand from the continent鈥檚 north to the south, German research institution Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has said in a press release. A joint study by German and US researchers had shown that warmer temperatures are likely to 鈥渟hift electricity demand from countries like Sweden or Norway to countries like Portugal or Spain鈥�, and also change seasonal peak load from winter to summer, PIK says. The reason for this shift is that high temperatures in the south will result in an increased use of cooling systems, 鈥渨hich in most cases requires a lot of electricity鈥�.
Find the study in English .听
tageszeitung (taz)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to 鈥渆xamine all other options鈥� before making a final decision on hardware retrofitting for diesel cars, she said in an interview with tageszeitung (taz). 鈥淚f I put another 1,000 to 2,000 euros per car into old technology and the industry has to muster between 10 and 20 billion euros for that, which it cannot put into the development of new technologies 鈥� is that an investment that the state should support?鈥� asked Merkel.
Read the interview in German .
See a 威力彩玩法 article on the Diesel Summit鈥檚 results and a 威力彩玩法 timeline of the dieselgate affair for background.
威力彩玩法
The future of the internal combustion engine and car manufacturing in Germany will be central topics at the International Motor Show (IAA) 2017 in September, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her annual summer press conference in Berlin. 鈥淗ow do we get modern drive technologies [鈥 without neglecting the combustion engine?鈥�, asked Merkel. The software updates and buyer鈥檚 bonuses offered to customers switching away from old diesel cars are 鈥渘ot sufficient鈥� to improve air quality in German cities so that driving bans can be avoided, said Merkel. She aims to add 鈥渁nother element鈥� to the solution at a meeting with some of the most affected municipalities on 4 September. The chancellor wants to turn these cities into clean mobility leaders. Asked about Germany likely missing its 2020 climate targets, she said that 鈥�diesel cars are not the issue when it comes to CO鈧� emissions鈥�.听
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 article Why the German diesel summit matters for climate and energy factsheet The debate over an end to combustion engines in Germany.
MDR
Many German wind power projects that appear to be owned by citizens鈥� energy cooperatives can be associated with the major wind power planning company UKA, German national TV station MDR says in an article on its website. According to MDR, UKA is Germany鈥檚 second largest wind park planner, which has assisted in founding 40 citizens鈥� energy cooperatives across the country. These have submitted bids in onshore wind power auctions with great success. 鈥淚s that really the kind of citizens鈥� energy desired by the state?鈥�, MDR asks. UKA argues in a letter addressed to MDR that most citizens鈥� cooperatives lack the resources needed to successfully take part in auctions. However, Germany鈥檚 Federal Grid Agency (BNetzA) now intends to examine whether the citizens鈥� wind power projects that succeeded in the second round of auctions have really met the criteria to be considered citizens鈥� projects, MDR reports.听
See the article in German .
See the 威力彩玩法 factsheets High hopes and concerns over onshore wind power auctions and From survey to harvest: How to build a wind farm in Germany for more information.
Zeit Online
Germany should not ponder diesel bans, e-car quotas, and other interventionist policies to achieve the transformation of its transport sector. Instead, it should consider how car traffic volumes can be reduced altogether, Martin Kesternich and Martin Achtnicht write in a guest commentary for Zeit Online. 鈥淭he true reasons for a high concentration of pollutants in cities are congested roads and high traffic volumes鈥�, the traffic researchers say. The consistent application of flexible inner city toll schemes, coupled with a CO2 floor price that also covers the transport sector, would be a much more efficient way to reduce emissions and improve air quality than prescribing or prohibiting certain technologies, they argue.
Read the article in German .
See the 威力彩玩法 dossier The energy transition and Germany鈥檚 transport sector for more information.
Focus Online
Germany needs a 鈥渞easonable readjustment鈥� of its energy transition to get a grip on the 鈥渃osts that are out of control鈥�, Christoph M. Schmidt, head of the German Council of Economic Experts (Wirtschaftsweisen), says in an article on Focus Online. 鈥淲ith its current detail-oriented changes and its planned economy approach, the country cannot achieve a full energy transition without massive welfare losses鈥�, Schmidt argues. In order to avoid 鈥渇urther rises in costs鈥�, the government ought to introduce more market principles, and refrain from launching an Energiewende fund that 鈥減asses the costs of future renewables expansion on to future generations鈥�.
Read the article in German .
See the 威力彩玩法 factsheet Germany ponders how to finance renewables expansion in the future for background.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
It will still take some years before the investors in the world鈥檚 largest chemical company, Germany鈥檚 BASF, can expect profits from a deal concluded with Russian Gazprom in 2015, writes Bernd Freytag in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. In an asset swap, BASF had left its subsidiary Wingas鈥� gas trading business to Gazprom in exchange for gas production licenses in Siberia. However, the exploitation of these gas fields is delayed due to uncertainties caused by lower gas prices and US shale gas exports, writes Freytag.
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and its implications for international security and the 威力彩玩法 factsheet Germany鈥檚 dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Tagesspiegel
The Green election programme would demand a lot of possible coalition partners after the elections, such as the coal exit and the phase-out of the combustion engine, said Schleswig-Holstein state energy minister Robert Habeck in an interview with daily Der Tagesspiegel. 鈥淚t can be as different as night and day, whether the Greens are part of government. Compare the coalition agreements from North Rhine-Westphalia and ours [Schleswig-Holstein] 鈥� there, the energy transition and climate protection is done, here the exact opposite. One wouldn鈥檛 think that the same party signed such conflicting agreements. And where鈥檚 there difference in the colour combination? In green,鈥� said Habeck.
Read the interview in German .
For background on the September general elections, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier Vote2017 - German elections and the Energiewende.
