German e-car strength / Energy industry sceptical of plant shutdowns
Zeit Online
The current narrative that Germany鈥檚 mighty car industry has failed to jump on the electric mobility bandwagon at the right time is a distortion of reality - and the country is on track to become a leading producer of electric vehicles, Christoph M. Schwarzer writes on Zeit Online.聽聽鈥淢ost e-cars in Europe are sold by BMW, Daimler or Volkswagen,鈥� Schwarzer says, which effectively makes Germany 鈥渢he leading producer鈥� on the continent. Absolute e-car sales figures are still modest, but soaring growth rates show that the sector is set to quickly gain in importance. 鈥淭he greatest threat to long-term success is not Tesla, but Chinese manufacturers,鈥� Schwarzer says, adding that only four percent of e-cars in the world鈥檚 largest car market are made by foreign producers. However, 鈥渢he idea that Germany鈥檚 car industry lags behind in e-mobility is not sustained by the facts鈥�, he says.
Read the article in German聽.
See the 威力彩玩法 factsheet The Energiewende and German carmakers for more information.
威力彩玩法
The German government no longer regards the pipeline project Nord Stream 2 as a purely private economic endeavour and is aware of the concerns in other EU countries regarding the German-Russian pipeline, Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock said. The statement came with regard to an answer by the government to an inquiry by the Green politician, seen by the 威力彩玩法. In its answer to Baerbock, the government says that while Nord Stream 2 鈥減rimarily is an economic project, clarity about Ukraine鈥檚 role in gas transmission is necessary鈥�, adding that its 鈥渇ocus鈥� was now to mediate between the Russian and the Ukrainian government. 鈥淭his is remarkable,鈥� Baerbock said, adding that this 鈥渟mall-scale change of heart鈥� would remain worthless if the government parties, Chancellor Angela Merkel鈥檚 conservative CDU/CSU alliance and the Social Democrats (SPD), continue to block a European legal framework for the 鈥淕azprom-pipeline鈥�, Baerbock said. The Green Party leader said Nord Stream 2 not only perpetuated Germany鈥檚 dependence on Russian natural gas producer Gazprom and undermined European sanctions against Russia鈥檚 government, but also was 鈥�an affront for our eastern European neighbours.鈥� Chancellor Merkel that political factors had to be taken into account when discussing Nord Stream 2.
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 news digest piece Merkel says Ukraine must not be excluded from Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the factsheet Germany鈥檚 dependence on imported fossil fuels.
German Association of Energy and Water Industries
A rapid decommissioning of fossil and nuclear power plants in Germany 鈥減oses the risk of knowingly causing an undersupply of guaranteed capacity by 2023 the latest鈥�, says the Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) in a response to an analysis by environmental NGO Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND). The NGO says Germany can take the most climate-damaging coal power stations off the grid by 2020 while also accelerating its聽nuclear exit聽without putting supply security at risk,聽 an assessment which BDEW head Stefan Kapferer called 鈥渋ncomprehensible鈥�. The reduction of guaranteed capacity continued 鈥渦nabated鈥� even without additional schemes, the BDEW says, reiterating its April analysis. The industry lobby group says Germany could not rely on neighbouring countries once guaranteed capacity no longer matches demand since those too are reducing capacity and have similar demand patterns to Germany.
Read the press release in German聽.
See the 威力彩玩法 factsheet How can Germany keep the lights on in a renewable energy future? for
Senvion
Wind turbine manufacturer Senvion has secured a large construction project in India with a capacity of 300 megawatt (MW), the company says in a press release. The German company will deliver over 130 turbines with a capacity of 2.3 MW that can power nearly 300,000 Indian homes, Senvion says. According to the company, the project - operated by Saudi-Arabian clean energy company Alfanar in the state of Gujarat - is the largest integrated engineering, procurement and construction project in India. Senvion CSO David Hardy said 鈥渢his win clearly demonstrates that Senvion has come of age in India for a long term play鈥� and was expecting 鈥渁 very busy time ahead鈥�.
Read the press release in English聽.
See the 威力彩玩法 factsheet German onshore wind power 鈥� output, business and perspectives for more information.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
A new company from Germany鈥檚 biggest lignite mining region, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), has developed a procedure that turns the brown coal traditionally used as a fossil fuel into a high-output fertiliser for plants, Brigitte Koch writes in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Conventional humus production - where organic matter slowly decays into fertile soil - may take several years,but the company Novihum converts lignite into humus granulate within just a few hours. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 burn the precious resource that is lignite but rather use it for a new product,鈥� says Novihum founder Horst Ninnemann. He says production of the granulate, which is sold to municipalities, agriculture companies and private customers, could be a viable alternative for large-scale industrial production in the country鈥檚 lignite mining areas once Germany has phased out coal-fired power production.
For background, read the factsheets When will Germany finally ditch coal? and Coal in Germany.
