Firms invest record sum in env protection/ Utilities tackle e-mobility
German Statistics Agency (Destatis)
German manufacturing companies have invested a record 7.9 billion euros in 2014 in environment and climate protection measures to reduce, avoid or clean up emissions and save resources, Germany鈥檚 statistics agency Destatis writes in a press release on the latest figures it made available. The investments were up by 5.7 percent compared to 2013 and accounted for 10.3 percent of all corporate investments in 2014, according to Destatis. The largest share (42.7 percent) of investments was made in water protection, while investments in climate protection came in second with 36 percent. Around 1.9 billion euros of investments were made by energy providers, Destatis added.
Read the press release in German and a short version in English .
For more information on The energy transition's effect on jobs and business, see this 威力彩玩法 dossier.
For background on the environmental rationale of the Energiewende, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier The energy transition and climate change.
S眉ddeutsche Zeitung
Several lawsuits regarding high nitrogen oxide emission levels 鈥� filed by the non-profit environmental and consumer protection association Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) in the recent past 鈥� start to have consequences for cities and carmakers, writes Stefan Mayr in S眉ddeutsche Zeitung. A court in D眉sseldorf called on the city government to ensure that emission limits are met 鈥渁s fast as possible鈥� and a court in Stuttgart inquired with the city administration whether it planned to adhere to such limits in the future. Until now, no German city has introduced driving bans, writes Mayr.
Read the article in German .
E.ON
German energy company E.ON has established a new unit to develop and expand Europe鈥檚 e-vehicle charging infrastructure, the utility announced in a press release. "We firmly believe in the future of e-mobility and the related potential for growth,鈥� said Karsten Wildberger, a member of the E.ON management board. E.ON already set up and operates thousands of charging stations across Europe.
Utility innogy had announced its own e-mobility business unit a week ago.
Read the press release in English .
Frankfurter Rundschau
Germany鈥檚 green energy industry has for years dashed from one record to the next, but this trend is set to slow down, Thorsten Knuf writes in a commentary for Frankfurter Rundschau. 鈥淵es to green energy but, please, not too much, such is the government鈥檚 demand,鈥� he says. The official line is that the Energiewende needs to be better organised, but one could well imagine that Social Democratic economy minister Sigmar Gabriel 鈥渟ecretly seeks to keep the climate-damaging coal industry alive for as long as possible鈥�, according to Knuf. With general elections less than one year ahead, 鈥渁rguably no prospect could be worse for a Social Democratic party leader than coal miners and labour unions turning their backs on him鈥�, he writes. But citizens needed to have choice in energy policy between 鈥渁 courageous restart and an Energiewende with the hand brake put on鈥�.
Read more on Germany鈥檚 performance in emission reduction in the 威力彩玩法 article German carbon emissions rise in 2016 despite coal use drop.
For more information on the upcoming election year, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier Vote2017 - German elections and the Energiewende.
Neues Deutschland
A 鈥渇ailed government policy that puts the brakes on the Energiewende鈥� is the real reason that CO鈧� emissions in the energy sector continue to rise, writes Kurt Stenger in an opinion piece in Neues Deutschland. The federal government should renew its climate protection policy. 鈥淏ut it is not at all willing to act contrary to the interests of the energy lobbies,鈥� writes Stenger.
Read the opinion piece in German .
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Neue Z眉rcher Zeitung
Economy minister Sigmar Gabriel鈥檚 statement on the performance of Germany鈥檚 economy in 2016 has been a self-complacent stocktaking, Christoph Eisenring writes in an opinion piece for Neue Z眉rcher Zeitung. Gabriel stated he would have done 鈥渘othing鈥� differently and achieved 鈥渆verything鈥� he wanted, comparing himself to Germany鈥檚 first post-war economy minister Ludwig Erhard, author of a book called 鈥淧rosperity for all鈥�, Eisenring says. Erhard鈥檚 conviction was that freedom of competition had to be the paramount principle of successful economic policy, he writes. But Gabriel strongly increased the state鈥檚 influence over many industry sectors, and especially over the energy industry, according to Eisenring. 鈥淢aybe the Social Democrat Gabriel has made a free interpretation鈥�, if he calls his administration the 鈥渕inistry for social market economy鈥�, he writes.
For background on central Energiewende legislation, see the 威力彩玩法 dossier The reform of the Renewable Energy Act.
Zeit Online
The breakthrough in e-mobility has once again not happened in Germany in 2016, Holger Holzer and Matthias Breitinger write on Zeit Online. 鈥淓ven in Europe, Germany continues to perform below average: between January and November, only 0.7 percent of newly registered cars had an electric engine,鈥� they explain. While in France and Britain, for example, the figure stood at 1.4 and 1.3 percent respectively. This laggard performance of German carmakers posed 鈥渁 high risk for the future profits of the industry鈥�, automotive industry expert Ferdinand Dudenh枚ffer told Zeit Online. Car companies like VW and Daimler will not bring e-cars on the market before 2020, making the government鈥檚 goal of having one million electrified vehicles on Germany鈥檚 roads by that year seem 鈥渕ore dubious than ever before鈥�, Holzer and Breitinger write.
Read the article in German . 听听
Read more on the automotive industry and energy transition in the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
Der Tagesspiegel
Denmark has in many respects been a role model for the Energiewende, but not all ideas put into practice by the small northern neighbour country are transferable to far bigger Germany, Jens Tartler writes in Der Tagesspiegel. Germany is much more densely populated and has many far larger cities 听which, for instance, makes requirements for district heating systems a lot more challenging, Tartler explains. 鈥淏ut this doesn鈥檛 change the fact that there are many lessons to be learned,鈥� he adds. Denmark hosted 29 of Europe鈥檚 30 biggest solar power stations, gained 40 percent of its electricity from windmills, has prohibited the use of oil and gas heating in new buildings and 鈥済enerally will let all licenses for burning coal expire by 2030鈥�, Tartler says.
For more information on the Energiewende and Germany鈥檚 neighbours, see the 威力彩玩法 dossier Germany's energy transition in the European context.
