Dispute over renewable development / More e-car charging stations
dpa / Frankfurter Rundschau
鈥淐hristian Democrats put the breaks on renewable development鈥�
Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party wants to make changes to the upcoming reform of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG), reports dpa. The party wants to limit the growth of both onshore and offshore wind power in order to 鈥減revent higher costs鈥� and ensure that renewables develop in line with new power grids. Volker Kauder,听head of the CDU-CSU parliamentary group, suggested that biogas plants should receive support 鈥� something the current reform proposal doesn鈥檛 include. The Green Party called the suggestions a 鈥済eneral attack on the energy transition鈥�.
Read the article in German.
Read a 威力彩玩法 factsheet about the proposed EEG 谤别蹿辞谤尘听here.
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The Wall Street Journal
鈥淲inded in Germany鈥�
The German government is trying to 鈥渄iscourage investment in wind power, which happens to be the only renewable energy generation that makes even vague sense for Germany,鈥� according to an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal. The planned switch from feed-in tariffs to an auction system is to limit new wind power capacity in favour of solar, which is more expensive and less reliable, the article says. 鈥淚t makes you wonder if there's any form of energy-price signal that governments won't ignore.鈥�
Read the comment (behind a paywall) in English .
Read 威力彩玩法's dossier on the Energiewende鈥檚 effect on German industry here, and a dossier on its impact on the labour market here.
Find the 威力彩玩法 factsheet on consumer power prices here.
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Zeit online
鈥淐oal is broken鈥�
A look at Peabody Energy's听shares chart is enough to understand how broken the international coal industry is, writes Claus Hecking in an opinion piece for Zeit online. This 鈥渃limate killing鈥� commodity 鈥� which produces almost half of global CO2 emissions 鈥� is a relic of the industrial dawn, and investing in it now is extremely risky, the author says. Germany's coal industry is fighting for a state rescue of the ailing lignite sector. But why should the tax payer artificially prolong the life of an energy source that ruins the climate and will soon be unprofitable? It would make much more sense 鈥� both ecologically and economically 鈥� for Germany to give up coal within the next 20 to 25 years, the article argues.
Read the op-ed in German .
Read a 威力彩玩法 article about the coal exit debate here.
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Handelsblatt
鈥淩evolution in small steps鈥�
Investments in industries with high CO2 emissions are becoming extremely high risk, writes Dirk Wohleb in the Handelsblatt. Consultancy firm Mercer predicts that by 2050 the oil sector's ratings will fall by two thirds, and the coal industry's by three quarters. The energy transition is no longer a German phenomenon, Wohleb听says. Yet investors at financial firms like Deutsche Asset Management and Allianz Global Investors are not completely pulling out of fossil fuel energy.听
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Institute for Applied Ecology / Fraunhofer ISE
鈥淪tart climate protection in the building sector now鈥�
A new study by the Institute for Applied Ecology (脰办辞-滨苍蝉迟颈迟耻迟) and Fraunhofer ISE outlines how energy consumption by German buildings can be reduced almost to the point of climate neutrality by 2050. Politicians must now provide incentives and adjust the legal framework to ensure that more buildings are insulated to a high standard, says Veit B眉rger of the 脰办辞-滨苍蝉迟颈迟耻迟.
Read the study in German .
Read a 威力彩玩法 dossier about efficiency and the energy transition听here.
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Bundestag
鈥淪atisfaction with smart meters鈥�
An expert committee was largely satisfied with a draft law on the digitalisation of the energy transition, according to a press release by the Bundestag. Boris Schucht, a representative for 50Hertz, welcomed that transmission system operators听(TSOs) are to provide the hub for data aggregated by smart meters. At the same time, the press release says many experts criticised certain aspects of the draft (see below).
Read the Bundestag press release in German .
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German Association of Energy and Water Industries
鈥淒istribution system operators should remain data hub鈥�
A report commissioned by the听German Association of Energy and Water Industries听(BDEW) concludes that distribution system operators (DSOs) should听manage electricity data aggregated by planned smart meters.听Germany's 800 plus DSOs are already responsible for data aggregated by analog meters, and changing this would be 鈥渋nefficient鈥�, says BDEW鈥檚 managing director Martin Weynand. The current draft bill to digitalise the energy transition would put the data in the hands of Germany's four TSOs.
Read the press release in German .
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German Renewable Energy Federation
鈥淎 law without purpose or aim鈥�
The German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) rejects the mandatory installation of smart meters for small solar and wind power plants proposed in the current draft of a bill to digitalise the energy transition. The rules would apply to installations of more than 7 kW.听The draft includes cost ceilings for plant operators, but BEE鈥檚 managing director Hermann Falk says they lack transparency. 鈥淭he draft bill must be improved to avoid unnecessary costs,鈥� said Falk.
Read the press release in German here.
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European Commission / BDEW
State aid and electricity capacity mechanisms
The European Commission has published an interim report on the necessity and legality of capacity mechanisms in the power market, finding that many member states should be more thorough in assessing the need and cost-effectiveness of such mechanisms. 鈥淯necessary and badly designed capacity mechanisms can distort competition,鈥� the Commission says in press release. However, it adds that capacity mechanisms may be necessary, 鈥渢o bridge the transitional period in which shortages may occur鈥�. The interim report is now up for public consultation.
German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) commented that the Commission clearly no longer objected to capacity mechanisms in principal, and shared the BDEW鈥檚 view that capacity markets could be appropriate to ensure security of supply.
Read the European Commission press release in English .
Read the BDEW comment in German .
Read a 威力彩玩法 factsheet about Germany鈥檚 new power market design here.
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鈥淢ore know-how and visibility for electric mobility鈥�
Transport minister Alexander Dobrindt has proposed 15,000 additional e-charging stations across Germany, in response to the results of a government programme on electric mobility. 鈥淓lectric mobility is working. Now, it鈥檚 all about creating an extensive charging infrastructure,鈥� Dobrindt said in a press release.听The federal ministries of economic affairs and energy (BMWi), environment (BMUB), education (BMFB) and transport (BMVI) are currently presenting results from the 180-million-euro funding programme 鈥淪chaufenster Elektromobilit盲t鈥�, which runs until the end of the year. Projects across Germany have provided 鈥渆xtensive insights to complete 听know-how in the field of electric vehicles, energy supply and transport systems,鈥� the ministries said.
Find the press release in German .
Find a 威力彩玩法 dossier on the Energiewende in Germany鈥檚 transport sector here.听
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鈥淒obrindt: Way paved for automated driving鈥�
The German cabinet has appoved transport minister Alexander Dobrindt鈥檚 draft bill on automated driving systems.听鈥淎utomated and interconnected driving is the biggest mobility revolution since the invention of the car,鈥� said Dobrindt. 鈥淲ith our draft we are paving the way for automated driving systems to take on more and more driving tasks autonomously.鈥澨齌he bill is to implement an听amendment to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.
Find the press release in German .
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鈥淓lectric cars: Almost 70 percent of Germans doubt the success of a buyer鈥檚 premium鈥�
A large majority of Germans doubt that introducing a buyer鈥檚 premium for electric cars would help the federal government reach its goal of 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2020, according to a survey commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and green electricity supplier LichtBlick. About half of respondents agreed with the survey鈥檚 proposition that a premium should only apply to e-cars powered by renewables.
Find the press release in German .
