Paying fossil plants for flexibility?/ Trump's natural gas predicament
Die Welt
Fossil power plants are disappearing from the market too quickly when they are still needed to supply the country with power on days with little sun or wind, writes Daniel Wetzel in Die Welt. 鈥淎t the moment, the bad economic framework conditions lead to quite a few conventional power plants being registered for decommissioning or taken off the grid,鈥� said Stefan Kapferer, head of utilities lobby BDEW. He proposes to pay fossil plant operators for supplying 鈥渟ystem services鈥� like the flexibility with which facilities can be ramped up and down according to the presence of renewable power. 鈥淭he power plants currently supply contributions to stabilise the grid, which they are not paid for. These must receive a price tag in the future power market,鈥� said Kapferer. State secretary in the federal economy ministry Rainer Baake does not see the need for this. He expects rising power prices on the wholesale market when fossil plants disappear, writes Die Welt. This would in turn provide the incentive to invest in new power plants and the market would solve the problem by itself.
Read the article in German .
For background read the 威力彩玩法 factsheet How can Germany keep the lights on in a renewable energy future? and the 威力彩玩法 dossier The power market and the energy transition.
Die Welt
Donald Trump鈥檚 wish for a better relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin could have a big impact on Europe鈥檚 natural gas supply, writes Daniel Wetzel in Die Welt. The impact would be felt if the new US president 鈥済ave up the Ukraine鈥� and shifted away from previous US policy aiming at freeing Europe from its dependence on Russian natural gas supply, the author writes. Both countries had an interest in selling their fuel to European states, with Russia trying to expand the capacity of its pipeline to Germany (鈥�Nord Stream鈥�), while the US is a global player in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) business. Europe and Germany must decide whether to become part of the new world LNG market, or to 鈥渃ontinue to bind themselves鈥� mainly to Russia with the pipeline expansion 鈥� 鈥渁t a time when Moscow pursues an aggressive foreign policy," writes Wetzel.
In a separate article, the head of Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz, Andrij Koboljew, warned the German government over expanding Nord Stream. He said it could make the country susceptible to blackmail. 鈥淚f the Ukrainian transit dies, Germany becomes virtually the only entry point for Russian natural gas into the EU,鈥� Koboljew told Die Welt.
Read the article in German and the article on Ukrainian power company鈥檚 warning in German .
For background read the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and its implications for international security.
Handelsblatt
The transition of Germany鈥檚 car industry from combustion engines to electric motors means workers鈥� representatives in supervisory boards will have to 鈥渁pprove of their own amputation,鈥� Markus Fasse writes in Handelsblatt. Premium manufacturer Daimler, for instance, estimates that six out of seven jobs in engine and gearing production will disappear with the rise of the e-car, Fasse writes. Despite this, 鈥渨orkers in fact call for a more rapid transition to e-cars", he explains. 鈥淭hey know the business figures that management has long played down," which show rising market shares for e-car pioneer Tesla and growing driving bans for diesel cars, Fasse writes. 鈥淓mployees will pay the highest price in the end if the industry doesn鈥檛 accomplish this transition,鈥� he adds.
For background, see the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung
The German Green Party鈥檚 largest donor, Jochen Wermuth, heads an investment fund focussed on green energy, Ralph Bollmann writes in a profile feature for weekly newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. Wermuth, a trained economist and mathematician, believes the Greens are 鈥渢he only party competent enough to get us forward,鈥� Bollmann writes. Wermuth donated 600,000 euros to the Greens in 2016 鈥� making the Oxford-graduate the largest private donor of all German parties, the author writes. This raised eyebrows among the Green Party鈥檚 members, whose majority is traditionally left-leaning and sceptical of high finance. But Wermuth says his donation could only have a positive effect for disentangling money and politics: If the Greens suddenly get the largest donations, maybe the other parties will agree on introducing a cap for financial contributions, Bollmann writes.
For background, see the 威力彩玩法 dossier Vote2017 鈥� German elections and the Energiewende.
shz.de
The compulsory switch to smart meter readers will lead to higher costs and threats to the privacy of power customers 鈥渨ithout holding any observable advantages up to now,鈥� Kathrin Emse writes on shz.de. 鈥淪mart grids help grid operators鈥� by allowing them to allocate transmission capacities more efficiently, Emse writes. For this to be made possible, about 50 million meters have to be swapped across Germany by 2032, she explains. But smart meters that now become mandatory for customers consuming more than 6,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year 鈥渨ill allow grid operators to have detailed insight into consumption patterns of individual households,鈥� Emse writes. Consumer protection organisations claim this 鈥渇orced digitalisation鈥� will bring customers about 100 euros in additional costs per year 鈥渨ithout yielding any benefits,鈥� she writes.
Read the article in German .
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier New technologies for the Energiewende.
S盲chsische Zeitung
German regions need to intensify their cooperation when it comes to implementing the Energiewende, Roland J盲kel, head of the trade association Lower Silesia in Saxony, said in an interview with S盲chsische Zeitung. 鈥淧oliticians won鈥檛 create new jobs in Lusatia,鈥� J盲kel said with regard to a pending end of the traditional mining region鈥檚 lignite industry. Policy could only 鈥渟et the course鈥� for an economic transformation, while it was up to businesses to decide whether to create new jobs, he explained. Regional business associations should therefore strengthen common efforts to manage regional consequences of the national energy transition, J盲kel said.
For more information, read the 威力彩玩法 factsheet Local stories from Germany鈥檚 energy transition and the 威力彩玩法 factsheet German federalism: In 16 states of mind over the Energiewende.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Exiting coal in Germany is a generational project that takes 30 years, says Helmar Rendez, chairman of Germany鈥檚 LEAG, the company responsible for lignite operations in eastern German region Lusatia. Rendez plans to decide by the summer if LEAG will expand existing open pit mines, writes Andreas Mihm in a profile story in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Lignite was a 鈥渂ridge for the Energiewende,鈥� as renewables were not capable of securing supply by themselves, says Rendez.
