Coal exit needed by 2035 - WWF / Russian gas supply soars
WWF / 脰办辞-滨苍蝉迟颈迟耻迟 / Prognos
For Germany to meet the Paris Climate Agreement targets, a phase out of coal-fired power generation must be complete by 2035 and the oldest facilities shut down as soon as 2019, according to a study by the Institute for Applied Ecology (脰办辞-滨苍蝉迟颈迟耻迟) and Prognos, commissioned by WWF. 鈥淕ermany has a coal problem that must not be put off any further,鈥� Christoph Heinrich, board member at WWF said in a press release. 鈥淭he good news: By shutting down the oldest and often dirtiest power plants fast, modern facilities have more time. This way, structural breaks in the affected regions can be minimised and the costs of the Energiewende kept low,鈥� Heinrich said. The German power sector has a remaining CO鈧� budget of 4 billion tonnes, according to the study. Open pit lignite mines must be closed sooner than envisaged. To supplement the coal phase out, grid expansion and the development of renewables must be accelerated, and Germany鈥檚 large export surpluses from CO鈧�-intensive electricity generation reduced, according to the study.
Find the press release in German and the full study with a summary in English .
For background read the 威力彩玩法 article Environment agency shows options for halving coal emissions by 2030 and the 威力彩玩法 factsheet When will Germany finally ditch coal?听
Reuters
Russian supplier Gazprom鈥檚 natural gas exports to Germany were at a record high in 2016 at 49.8 billion cubic metres, compared to 45.3 billion cubic metres in 2015, Vladimir Soldatkin and Jack Stubbs report for Reuters. The company currently supplies around a third of Europe鈥檚 gas, the article says. 鈥淭hat has raised concern in Europe that the region is too reliant on Russian gas.鈥�
Read the article in English .
For background read the 威力彩玩法 article Little headway in 2016 for Germany鈥檚 energy transition - think tank and the 威力彩玩法 factsheet Germany鈥檚 dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Handelsblatt Global Edition
German utility innogy will assist the country鈥檚 telecommunication heavyweight Telekom in expanding its broadband internet access, Ina Karabasz and J眉rgen Flauger write in Handelsblatt Global Edition. Initially reluctant to rely on partners to develop high-speed internet across the country, Telekom鈥檚 turn to utility RWE鈥檚 renewable spinoff signals a strategic shift for the former telecom state monopoly, they say. According to the authors, innogy鈥檚 grid covers almost a quarter of Germany and provides electricity to more than 9 million customers, while Telekom services around 40 percent of the country鈥檚 broadband market.
Read the article in English .
Spiegel Online
By banning private diesel cars from the inner city, Oslo has done what German municipalities do not dare to do, Claus Hecking writes on Spiegel Online. The controversial diesel ban is the first of its kind in the often smog-ridden Norwegian capital, Hecking says. Many cities around the world are experimenting with strict traffic regulations to bring down pollution levels, while Germany still struggles to agree on the legal basis for cities to do so, Hecking writes. Still, while Norway is very successful at promoting the use of e-cars via tax cuts and preferential parking rights, it endorsed the purchase of allegedly eco-friendly diesel cars only around 10 years ago, leading many of its citizens to buy a car that now will be banned from the capital, he adds. According to Hecking, around 45 percent of all private cars in the Oslo metropolitan area, with its almost 2 million inhabitants, run on diesel.
Read the article in German .
For background on the Energiewende and car emissions, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier on The energy transition and Germany鈥檚 transport sector.
Tageszeitung (taz)
The latest figures published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) refute US president-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 claim that solar power is particularly expensive, Bernhard P枚tter writes in leftist daily taz. According to the IRENA report 鈥淩Ethinking Energy 2017鈥� released over the weekend, modern solar parks can offer power at 3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), comparable to the price of coal-fired power, P枚tter writes. Without subsidies, several renewable energy sources, such as onshore wind and hydropower, are even cheaper than coal, oil or natural gas plants despite low fossil fuel prices, he adds. According to a study by German energy think tank Agora Energiewende*, a near-complete shift towards renewables by 2050 is likely to make power in Germany even cheaper than under a scenario without any further renewables expansion, P枚tter adds.
For more information on costs of the energy transition, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier Energiewende effects on power prices, costs and industry and the 威力彩玩法 factsheet What German households pay for power.
*Like the 威力彩玩法, Agora Energiewende is a project funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.
pv magazine
German battery manufacturer Sonnen is the first small & medium enterprise to win the 1.5 million-dollar Zayed Future Energy Prize. The annual award has become one of the most prestigious in the cleantech industry. Sonnen called the prize the 鈥淥scar of the energy world鈥�.
Read the article in English .
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier New technologies for the Energiewende.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
German farmers show a willingness to put more effort into protecting the climate and resources in a position paper by (DBV), writes Henrike Ro脽bach for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 鈥淐ultivation must not lead to harm鈥� to the environment, climate, water or air, DBV鈥檚 president Joachim Rukwied told the newspaper. 鈥淲e have homework to do. Deterioration is not acceptable,鈥� said Rukwied. The position paper, seen by Ro脽bach, will be presented on Wednesday.
For background read the 威力彩玩法 dossier Bioenergy in Germany.
Environmental Progress
Emissions in Germany have increased for two consecutive years due to the decommissioning of the country鈥檚 nuclear power plants, pro-nuclear organisation Environmental Progress writes. 鈥淕erman emissions would have declined had it not closed a nuclear plant and replaced it with coal and natural gas,鈥� says author Michael Shellenberger. According to Shellenberger, newly installed solar and wind capacities were insufficient to make up for capacity lost in the course of Germany鈥檚 nuclear phase-out, largely because of last year鈥檚 unfavourable weather conditions. 2016 has been 鈥渁 dramatic illustration of the limits of energy sources that depend on the weather,鈥� he writes.
Read the article in English .
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 article German carbon emissions rise in 2016 despite coal use drop and the 威力彩玩法 article Little headway in 2016 for Germany鈥檚 energy transition.
Find more information in the 威力彩玩法 dossier The challenges of Germany's nuclear phase-out.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The Philippsburg nuclear power plant鈥檚 second generating unit near the German city of Karlsruhe will stay offline longer than planned, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reports. According to a spokesperson of Baden-W眉rttemberg鈥檚 federal state government, the unit will not be in operation before the end of March. An analysis carried out by the inspecting authority revealed a faulty emergency cooling system, meaning the plant would not be secure in the event of a major shock such as a plane crash, the article explains. Philippsburg鈥檚 first generating unit was decommissioned in March 2011, shortly after Germany鈥檚 decision to speed up its nuclear exit. The second generating unit is slated for decommissioning in late 2019.
Read more about Germany鈥檚 nuclear exit in the 威力彩玩法 dossier The challenges of Germany鈥檚 nuclear phase-out.
