Law reform delays energy transition - study / Utilities fear collapse
University of Applied Sciences Berlin (HTW)
鈥淣ew study: EEG 2016 thwarts Paris climate agreement鈥�
If Germany continued the deployment of renewable energies at the average pace of the last 15 years, the energy transition would take more than 100 years, a study by ) finds. In order to achieve the Paris climate targets (limiting global warming to under 2/1.5掳C), a decarbonisation by 2040 would be necessary, Quaschning said at a press conference. Instead of curbing the development of renewable energies as the government was attempting with the latest reform of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG), Germany would need a four- to fivefold faster renewables expansion than before, Quaschning said. Onshore wind power would have to grow by 6.3 gigawatts (GW) net听annually instead of 2.8 GW (gross); solar PV would have to grow by 15 GW instead of 2.5 GW as suggested in the new EEG.
Germany would need more power in 2040 than today, due to the electrification of the heating and transport sector, the study showed. But if the targets of the EEG 2014 were followed through, the country would only reach a 35 percent share of renewables in electricity consumption in 2040 and with the EEG 2016 pathway applied an even lower share of 26 percent, Quaschning calculated.
Read the press release and download the study in German .
For background see a 威力彩玩法 factsheet on the reform of the Renewable Energy Act here.
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Die Welt
鈥淟ocal utilities expect collapse of electricity trade鈥�
Germany鈥檚 energy transition will lead to a severe drop in profits for the听country鈥檚 electricity and gas suppliers, according to an analysis by the local utility association Th眉ga, to be presented next week, writes Daniel Wetzel in Die Welt. The authors of Th眉ga鈥檚 鈥淪trategy-Review鈥� write that听the prospects for the electricity trade in particular听were 鈥渃rushing鈥�. The development is triggered by the 鈥渇ast, subsidy-driven expansion of small, decentralised electricity producers,鈥� writes Wetzel. This made the work of the traders more fragmented, laborious and costly and the margins of profit declined because of high market liquidity.
Read the article in German .
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Die Welt
鈥淣ot in front of my door鈥�
The 听government of Bavaria plans to avoid the possibility of a final nuclear repository in the state by way of a trick,听writes Daniel Wetzel in Die Welt. Bavaria鈥檚 environment minister Ulrike Scharf announced to the 听responsible for finding a final repository that it will introduce a dissenting opinion for the final report. So far, the consent in the commission had been that three types of host rock could be used to store the waste, writes Wetzel. The Bavarian government now wants to exclude granite from this list, effectively听making a final repository in the state impossible. 鈥淲ith the dissenting vote against granite as a host rock, Bavaria excludes itself quite pleasantly from the search,鈥� writes Wetzel. 听
Read the article in German .
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PV magazine
鈥淓EG-reform: Bundesrat demands several changes in the details鈥�
The German Bundesrat demands several changes to the reform draft of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) after the first reading in the second chamber of the German parliament, reports PV magazine. The Bundesrat agrees with the 鈥済eneral goals鈥� of the reform, writes PV magazine, but calls,听for example,听for small PV systems of up to 1 megawatt to be exempt from future tenders, instead of the proposed 750 kilowatt threshold. It remains to be seen if the demanded changes will be applied to the draft, as the act is decided upon by means of an accelerated procedure, writes PV magazine.
Read the article in German .
Find the statement of the Bundesrat in German .
Read the 威力彩玩法 factsheet EEG reform 2016 鈥� switching to auctions for renewables.
Read the 威力彩玩法 article Wind development has to wait for grid expansion on current government plans.
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Berliner Morgenpost
鈥淚t gets uncomfortable鈥�
The federal government has to 鈥渓eave the comfort zone鈥� and start making 鈥渦ncomfortable decisions鈥� if it is serious about sustainable climate and energy policy, writes Jakob Schlandt in an opinion in Berliner Morgenpost. 鈥淯npleasant distributional conflicts have been put off so far,鈥� writes Schlandt. Undertakings like a radical decarbonisation would also produce losers, but up until now citizens were left under the illusion that the Energiewende will continue as painless as it has been.
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Handelsblatt
鈥淭he right step鈥�
The planned merger of Siemens鈥� wind power business with Spanish Gamesa holds risks, but is the right step to take, writes Alex H枚pner in an opinion piece for Handelsblatt. 鈥淚t is correct to invest in renewable energies. [鈥 Fossil energy sources are a model of the past [and] it is good to show that the former idea of a green infrastructure giant was not given up completely,鈥� writes H枚pner.
Read the opinion piece in German .
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dpa-AFX
鈥淓nvironment minister conference commits to coal exit鈥�
The environment ministers of the states have听called on the federal government to come up with a concrete timetable for the country鈥檚 coal phase-out, reports dpa. The ministers ask for the inclusion of 鈥渢he questions of structural change, supply security and affordability鈥� in the plan for an exit from coal use, according to a press release.
Read the article in German .
Read the press release by the conference of environment ministers in German .
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dpa
鈥淚ndustry expert: We鈥檒l need coal power plants for a long time still鈥�
Germany will rely on coal-fired power plants for its electricity supply 鈥渁t least until 2050鈥�, says Franz-Josef Wodopia, managing director of the German Coal Importer Association, according to dpa. Because of a lack of affordable mass storage systems, there were currently no alternative solutions for the fluctuations of wind and solar energy, says Wodopia. Without a strong base of conventionally produced electricity, the stability of the power grid could not be maintained.
Read the article in German .
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Federal Environment Agency
鈥淕reenhouse gas neutral goods transport is necessary and possible鈥�
A study by Germany鈥檚 Federal Environment Agency UBA finds that increasing transport of goods by 2030 will require a reduction of emissions from this sector,听for example by using more rail instead of road transport. The researchers say that road transport fees must rise while the rail infrastructure has to be expanded. With ambitious measures, the share of rail transport can be increased from 18 to 23 percent by 2030.
Read the press release in German and download the study on financing a sustainable goods transport in German .
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PV magazine
Digitalisation law: Mandatory smart meters for all PV installations larger than 1 kilowatt
An explanatory note on the draft law on the digitalisation of the energy transition shows that the government is planning to make smart meters mandatory for all new renewable installations as of 2018, PV magazine reports. Representatives of the solar PV industry opposed the idea, saying that this would slow down solar PV expansion. The digitalisation law will be debated in parliament this week.
Read the article in German .
