Strong solar tender competition / Activists announce coal protests
Federal Grid Agency (BNetzA)
There was 鈥渟trong competition鈥� in the first solar tender following this year鈥檚 changes in Germany鈥檚 Renewable Energy Law, according to the Federal Grid Agency (BNetzA). Winning bids for arrays with a capacity of more than 750 kilowatts averaged 6.58 cents/KWh, compared to 6.90 cents/KWh in the previous auction. Bids totalled 488 megawatts, more than twice the auction volume of 200 megawatts. Of the 38 winning bids, 9 were for projects on buildings and structures that could participate in the tender for the first time.
Read the press release in German .
Find background in the 威力彩玩法 dossier The reform of the Renewable Energy Act.
Ende Gel盲nde
Climate activist group Ende Gel盲nde has announced it will hold at least two major protests against coal-fired power production in Germany this year. The activists said they would 鈥渂lock the production of coal in the Rhineland lignite fields - as long as possible鈥� in a first protest scheduled for late August, with further action planned in November to coincide with the UN Climate Conference in Bonn. 鈥淲e will show that opposition to coal is broad and diverse,鈥� Ende Gel盲nde said in the press release, adding that there was 鈥�little time left鈥� if the international community wants to limit global warming in line with the Paris Agreement targets.
Find the group鈥檚 website in English .
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier The energy transition and climate change.
Dow Jones Newswires
Germany鈥檚 biggest federal state, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), must do its bit for climate protection without losing its status as leading industrial location, NRW鈥檚 state premier Hannelore Kraft said at Germany鈥檚 largest energy trade-fair in Essen, Dow Jones Newswires reports. According to Social Democrat Kraft, energy transition efforts in Germany are futile if industry migrates to countries with lower environmental standards. Around 10 percent of NRW鈥檚 power consumption comes from renewable energy sources, below the national average of more than 30 percent, the report says.
Read an article on the topic in German .
For more information, see the 威力彩玩法 dossier The energy transition鈥檚 effect on jobs and businesses.
European Commission
Germany is following a 鈥減roactive strategy in developing comprehensive environmental policies鈥� but should make greater efforts to improve air quality for the sake of its citizens鈥� health and quality of life, the European Commission said in a country report on the implementation of environmental standards. Germany is doing particularly well on establishing 鈥渁 circular economy鈥� with high recycling rates and pursues an 鈥渁dvanced approach regarding Green infrastructure鈥�. Yet it lags behind on reducing the impact of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM10), the Commission said. Reducing 鈥�environmentally harmful subsidies鈥� is a 鈥渕ain opportunity鈥� in order for Germany to tackle this shortcoming, it added.
Read the Commission鈥檚 report in English .
Handelsblatt Global Edition
German business leaders, trade unions and government officials are presenting a common front against US president Donald Trump鈥檚 protectionism, Klaus Stratmann writes in Handelsblatt Global Edition. In a joint statement, Germany鈥檚 new economy minister Brigitte Zypries and the leaders of key business federations and trade unions called for a halt to 鈥渆fforts at political and economic renationalisation,鈥� Stratmann writes. 鈥淧rotectionism is nothing short of a horror scenario for a nation as reliant on exports as Germany,鈥� he says, adding that Trump鈥檚 German critics could 鈥渞ely on support from Chancellor Angela Merkel,鈥� who already criticised the Trump administration鈥檚 economic policy agenda. According to Stratmann, the statement, which stopped short of addressing the US government directly, is also directed at China. China is being criticised for, among other things, giving 鈥渄omestic makers of electric vehicles preferential treatment over foreign companies,鈥� Stratmann writes.
Read the article in English (behind paywall).
Reuters
innogy's CEO Peter Terium expects the renewables spin-off to pay a 鈥済enerous dividend鈥� to its parent company RWE this year, news agency Reuters reports. "Generous means dividend multiplied by the number of shares. RWE has a lot of shares so what they will get is going to be generous overall," Terium said. This could help RWE put up the roughly 7 billion euros it must find to finance radioactive waste storage, Reuters says. RWE still owns 76.8 percent of innogy鈥檚 shares following the split in 2016. Speaking at Germany鈥檚 largest energy trade fair, in Essen, Terium said he did not believe RWE would need to sell innogy shares to make the payment. Innogy will publish its 2016 results on ; RWE on .
Find the Reuters article in English .
Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN)
Germany鈥檚 Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) has published recommendations to protect bats when constructing and operating wind parks in forests. Identifying which bat species live in the area is important for tailor-made preventive action, according to the report. 鈥淭his is the only way nature-friendly wind energy development is possible,鈥� BfN president Beate Jessel said in a press release. For certain species, BfN proposes a distance of at least 50 metres between the tree canopy and the lower edge of the turbine鈥檚 rotors. For others, it suggests shutting turbines off at certain times.
Find the press release in German and purchase the full report in German .
Tagesspiegel
German experts say the global carbon floor price proposed by government advisors in a paper for the German economy ministry is unlikely to be agreed, Dagmar Dehmer writes in Tagesspiegel. 鈥淚mplementing a sufficiently high floor price seems unrealistic in light of the current political climate,鈥� WWF board member Christoph Heinrich told Tagesspiegel.
Read the article in German and find the paper in German .
E.ON
German utility E.ON and Danish e-mobility provider CLEVER have agreed to jointly build a network of ultra-fast e-car charging stations along major European motorways, according to an E.ON press release. 鈥淭he joint ambition of the partners is to now establish several hundred ultra-fast charging locations across Europe. The sites will be placed every 120 - 180 kilometres along motorways. E.ON and CLEVER invite more partners with the same ambitions to join this effort.鈥� Construction of this 鈥済ame-changer for the growth of EV demand鈥� will begin this year, and the partners are already in dialogue with a number of other parties, according to the release.
Read the press release in English .
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
Handelsblatt Global Edition
German electric carmakers have shied away from producing their own battery cells because of competition from Asia, report Franz Hubik, Lukas Bay and Stephan Scheuer for Handelsblatt Global Edition. China plans to take a leading role in the e-car battery market, but lower quality and safety standards may prevent German carmakers from using cheaper Chinese cells. Daimler and others are making their own battery systems using cells from Japanese and South Korean companies.
Read the article in English (behind paywall) .
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 factsheet Reluctant Daimler plans 鈥渞adical鈥� push into new mobility world.
energypost.eu
An extensive underground thermal heat storage system proposed in Hamburg could supply roughly a quarter of the city鈥檚 heating needs with waste heat from industrial and power plants, Jeffrey Michel reports for . 鈥淚f successful, it would make Vattenfall鈥檚 plans to realise a CO2-neutral district heating network superfluous,鈥� Michel writes. The , a local ecological planning office, and , a subsidiary of the municipal waterworks , propose storing heat in a saltwater aquifer under the city, which has around 1.7 million inhabitants. The city aims to make its heat operations climate-neutral by 2050.
Read the article in English .
