The creeping end of coal? / Carmakers' "clever moves"
Handelsblatt
Germany will inevitably scrap coal-fired power production even though the move has not yet been officially announced, Klaus Stratmann writes in Handelsblatt. Coal-fired generating units with an installed capacity of 4,772 megawatts 鈥� the equivalent of five nuclear power plants - have been slated for decommission in 2016, according to figures from the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), Stratmann explains. 鈥淧olitics is being outpaced by reality,鈥� he writes, referring to a suggestion by the energy think tank Agora Energiewende* according to which the last coal-fired power plant will be shut down in about 2038 if 2016 trends continued.
Read the article in German (behind paywall).
For further information, read this 威力彩玩法 article on reduced coal use in Germany and this 威力彩玩法 factsheet on When will Germany finally ditch coal?
*Like the 威力彩玩法, Agora Energiewende is a project funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.
S眉ddeutsche Zeitung
The Detroit Car Show is testimony to the close alliances forged between carmakers and IT companies in order to beat Google, report Max H盲gler, Claus Hulverscheidt and Joachim Becker in S眉ddeutsche Zeitung. BMW is cooperating with Intel and Israeli sensor specialist Mobileye; BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Intel have forged the Here mapping service alliance; and German carmakers also have agreed to join forces to set up a European fast-charging network. 鈥淯ntil now, everybody thought Google was setting the standards, but that鈥檚 not the case,鈥� industry expert Gabriel Seiberth at business consultancy Accenture told the authors. He said the carmakers have loosened their dependency on Google through a number of recent 鈥渧ery clever moves鈥�. An unnamed German car manager said: 鈥淲e can build an iPhone if we try hard. But they can鈥檛 mass-produce a good car.鈥�
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
Also consult the factsheets Early e-car starter BMW plans new mobility sprint, Reluctant Daimler plans 鈥渞adical鈥� push into new mobility world, and Dieselgate forces VW to embrace green mobility.
S眉ddeutsche Zeitung
German premium carmakers BMW, Daimler and Audi compete with each other on car sales year after year, writes Thomas Fromm in a commentary in S眉ddeutsche Zeitung. 鈥淭he premium crown, sales records, pure size 鈥� carmakers have got so much used to these units in past decades they simply can鈥檛 shake them off.鈥� But industry success in the future will be measured by what the cars are made of, not by how many are sold, he writes.
Read the commentary in German .
Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW)
Progress in modernising Germany鈥檚 buildings to save energy is slow partly because of a confusing array of available support, according to a study by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW). 鈥淎t present, the country boasts 3,350 support schemes to conserve energy in buildings. To advance the Energiewende, the system urgently needs simplifying,鈥� the IW states in a press release. 鈥淢any schemes simply don鈥檛 reach the market,鈥� explains IW real estate expert Ralph Henger.
Find the press release in German . 聽聽
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and Efficiency.
Th眉ringer Allgemeine
Politicians in the Eastern German state of Thuringia have called on the federal government to align power prices across the country, Th眉ringer Allgemeine reports. Federal economy minister Sigmar Gabriel鈥檚 backtracking on plans to standardise electricity grid fees nationwide came as a 鈥渂ad surprise鈥�, Thuringia鈥檚 economy minister Wolfgang Tiefensee said according to the newspaper. While most of the Energiewende鈥檚 expenses, such as the renewable surcharge, were 鈥渘aturally鈥� distributed among national consumers, the 鈥渦nfair鈥� cost distribution of grid expansion among Eastern Germans would be 鈥渃emented鈥� if Gabriel pushed through with his plans, Tiefensee explained.
Read the article in German (behind paywall).
Handelsblatt
A global surge of trade restrictions and protectionism could derail Germany鈥檚 efforts in climate protection, Heinz J眉rgen Sch眉rmann writes in a commentary for Handelsblatt. 鈥淕lobal interconnection is indispensable for a successful limitation of CO2-emissions,鈥� Sch眉rmann writes. International management was needed to ensure that an appropriate and efficient price for the 鈥渦sage of the formerly free good 鈥榓tmosphere鈥欌�� is found, he explains. Globally coordinated climate protection does not have to be an 鈥渋llusion鈥� if countries see gains from collaboration, and a CO2-price system encompassing important emitters is tested in the next years, Sch眉rmann writes.
Federation of German Industries
Germany should use its public budget surplus for preventative investments in transmission grids, transportation infrastructure and other areas, the Federation of German Industries (BDI) writes in a press release. Investments that could 鈥減repare for hard times鈥� are currently possible 鈥渨ithout raising taxes or neglecting the restructuring of public budgets鈥�, according to the BDI. The federation, which estimates German GDP growth to reach about 1.5 percent in 2017, regards these investments as key for ensuring the country鈥檚 continued economic well-being. In the context of energy transition, there needed to be greater emphasis on cost efficiency in order to make it an 鈥渆xport hit鈥�, BDI鈥檚 president Dieter Kempf said in the press release.
Read the press release in German .
For background, see the 威力彩玩法 dossier The energy transition and Germany鈥檚 power grid.
Mitteldeutsche Zeitung
The rapid and ubiquitous advance of digitalisation threatens municipal utilities鈥� traditional business models purely based on power, gas and water supply, writes Frank-Thomas Wenzel in a feature article in Mitteldeutsche Zeitung. 鈥淎mazon, but also Google, Microsoft, and Apple want to push with all their might into the business of so-called smart home applications,鈥� writes Wenzel. 鈥淭his makes them direct rivals of municipal utilities.鈥�
Read the article in German .
Find background in the 威力彩玩法 factsheet Small, but powerful 鈥� Germany鈥檚 municipal utilities.
