Lignite plants still lead top polluters / Mercury poisons fish
Sandbag
鈥淭op 10 European polluters still dominated by German lignite鈥�
鈥淔our out of five of the biggest polluters in Europe are still German lignite plants,鈥� reports UK-based sandbag. The not-for-profit group analysed new data released by the European Commission and concludes that German lignite generation is still running at almost full capacity for most hours because of increasing exports. Total German lignite still accounted for nine percent of all EU Emissions Trading System emissions. Dave Jones, analyst at sandbag, calls for these lignite plants to be closed 鈥渟ooner rather than later. This will ensure that Germany鈥檚 Energiewende makes good on its incredible renewables growth鈥�.
Read the sandbag article in English .
Find an article by S眉ddeutsche Zeitung in German .
Find the European Commission data for 2015 emissions .
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Die Welt / NABU
鈥淔ish from North Rhine-Westphalia heavily polluted by mercury鈥�
Industrial plants are responsible for the pollution of almost all fish in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia by the heavy metal mercury, according to Die Welt. Coal-fired power plants are the biggest contributor to the state鈥檚 mercury pollution with 75 percent. Current legal limits are being met but 鈥渇ish stands as the best indicator for long-term risks, as the toxic heavy metal reaches humans mainly by way of food鈥�. Higher EU standards are planned but will not be introduced until 2020. The state鈥檚 environment minister Johannes Remmel criticises the hesitant introduction of filter systems: 鈥淭he technology is there, it is developed here, but used abroad.鈥�
Read the article in German .
Find a press release by the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) in German .
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Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
鈥淣ew start for the construction of electricity highway鈥�
The decision last year to lay underground lines to avoid pylons for the north-south power line project Suedlink will make completion in 2022 unlikely, writes Ralf Euler in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Suedlink is regarded as necessary to transport wind energy from Germany鈥檚 north to the industrial south when the last nuclear power plant goes off the grid that year. The decision to go underground came after heavy protests by civil society and the government of Bavaria last year. Grid operator TenneT now speaks of a complete reset of planning. German economics minister Sigmar Gabriel fears additional costs of several billions of euros.
Read the article in German .
Find a 威力彩玩法 dossier on Germany鈥檚 power grid here.
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Financial Times
鈥淪teel crisis turns up heat on energy subsidies鈥�
Germany has handed over 40 times more in energy subsidies to heavy industry since 2013 than the UK, writes Kiran Stacey in the Financial Times. The government in Berlin granted subsidies worth over nine billion euros to its most intensive energy users, compared to 160 million pounds in the UK, which highlights one reason why British steelmakers are in such trouble, according to Stacey. Tata announced last week it wanted to pull out of the UK, putting 15,000 jobs at risk, writes Stacey.
Read the article in English .
Find the 威力彩玩法 factsheet 鈥淚ndustrial power prices and the Energiewende鈥� here.
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The Telegraph
鈥淲e鈥檙e following Germany to an energy disaster鈥�
The example of Germany shows where a policy of decarbonisation is leading the UK, writes Christopher Booker in a commentary for The Telegraph. He says the German energy policy has increased electricity costs to the point where hundreds of thousands of customers cannot afford to pay their bills and many of Germany鈥檚 top manufacturing firms are moving facilities abroad.
Find the commentary in English .
Read the 威力彩玩法 dossier on the Energiewende鈥檚 effect on German industry here, and a dossier on its effect on the labour market here.
Read the 威力彩玩法 factsheet 鈥淲hat business thinks of the energy transition鈥� here.
Find the 威力彩玩法 factsheet "What German households pay for power" here.
Read the 威力彩玩法 article "Welfare groups urge power cost relief for German poor" here.
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Focus
鈥淪tagecoach 2016 鈥� 鈥極ur answer to Tesla鈥欌��
The German Post will start production of an electric delivery vehicle this year, reports Focus magazine. Some 2,000 鈥淪treetscooters鈥� will be produced in 2016, but the company hopes to eventually use 30,000 of the vehicles. The Post plans to market the vehicles to other companies in the longer term. Post manager J眉rgen Gerdes said that while Tesla can build first-class cars for private customers, the Post could build 鈥渁ggressively priced tools for business clients鈥�. He told the magazine the electric vans are not more expensive than conventional vehicles.
Find a shortened version of the article in German .
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Der Spiegel
鈥淢any promises made, but few kept鈥�
The equipment of German motorway service stations with fast-charging stations for e-cars is making slow progress, reports Der Spiegel magazine. Less than 5% of Germany鈥檚 total of about 430 feature the infrastructure.
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S眉ddeutsche Zeitung
鈥淲ho will repair it?鈥�
In the debate about e-mobility, little attention has been paid to insufficient knowledge and qualifications in garages, reports S眉ddeutsche Zeitung. A survey by the Technical Control Board (T脺V) has shown that more than 80% of technicians have no experience with electric cars or hybrids, and most garages are in no hurry to qualify their technicians.
