Wind industry "blown off course" / G20 efficiency partnership
Handelsblatt Global Edition
Germany鈥檚 wind power industry could soon face 鈥渁 major period of austerity鈥�, Franz Hubik writes in Handelsblatt Global Edition. 鈥淲e have seen a 40 percent fall in the price of wind turbines in the last three years鈥� leading to hundreds of layoffs, a representative of turbine manufacturer Senvion told Handelsblatt. Manufacturers need to reduce costs 鈥� not least because there are still too many of them in the market, Hubik says. The curtailing of financial support under the new Renewable Energy Act (EEG) will aggravate the situation, he adds.
Read the article in English .
The German federal government proposes a partnership on resource efficiency for G20 member countries. 鈥淲e need a strong partnership of all large economic powers so that we don鈥檛 keep exceeding our planet鈥檚 limits,鈥� said federal environment minister Barbara Hendricks at the opening of G20 government talks on resource efficiency in Berlin. Under the partnership, members would be in constant dialogue to learn from one another and share best practices, she said.听
At the same event, the International Resources Panel () presented its report on the potential and economic implications of resource efficiency. It finds that smarter use of resources can add 2 trillion dollars annually to the global economy. Yet, 鈥渆conomic efficiency is not always equal to resource efficiency鈥�, mostly due to labour costs, said IRP member Prof Paul Ekins at the presentation.
Find the government press release in German and the IRP report in English .听 
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The language used by German car manufacturer Audi and its parent company Volkswagen to handle its emissions fraud scandal speaks volumes about how their managers still underestimate the crisis, Carsten Knop writes in a commentary for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. At Audi鈥檚 annual press conference, CEO Rupert Stadler once again sought to talk as little as possible about the 鈥渄iesel issue鈥�. At the same time, prosecutors and the police were searching Audi鈥檚 headquarters 鈥減recisely due to this 鈥榠ssue鈥欌��, Knop explains. The investigations could shake Audi and Volkswagen at their core, but the executive boards disclaim any responsibility 鈥� 鈥渢hese are no good preconditions to achieve the transition to e-mobility,鈥� Knop concludes.听
Read the commentary in German .
For background on Germany鈥檚 automotive industry and e-mobility, see the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
taz.de
It is 鈥渘onsense鈥� that Germany鈥檚 Energiewende destroys big utilities because it is a peculiar and unique policy, writes Ingo Arzt in a commentary in the left-wing taz. 鈥淭he global utility world faces massive upheavals that will push companies into bankruptcy if they don鈥檛 adapt.鈥� A for half the price of coal power, and China鈥檚 renewable push, show where we are headed, according to Arzt. 鈥淚t becomes evident everywhere that renewables have become unstoppable.鈥�
Find a report on E.ON results and plans for job cuts in yesterday鈥檚 news digest.
For background on E.ON鈥檚 troubles, read the 威力彩玩法 factsheet E.ON shareholders ratify energy giant鈥檚 split.
Read the commentary in German .
The job cuts announced by E.ON are a further example of the Energiewende鈥檚 impact on employment in the industry, according to coal mining union IG BCE. 鈥淭he conventional power industry does no longer earn enough money to pay its employees [鈥 That鈥檚 absurd,鈥� said union head Michael Vassiliades in a statement. The union estimates the Energiewende has destroyed 20,000 to 25,000 utility jobs in Germany.
Read the statement in German .
E.ON鈥檚 record loss is the result of massive management mistakes, according to Greenpeace. 鈥淎nyone who ignores the energy transition for many years, and instead bets on fossil energies, shouldn鈥檛 be surprised about huge losses,鈥� said Greenpeace energy expert Tobias Austrup in a statement. 鈥淓.ON in particular deserves little pity, because its leftover shop called Uniper still looks away from the new energy world [...] 17 years after the start of the Energiewende, the company still wants to connect an additional coal-fired power station to the grid.鈥�
Rheinische Post
German chancellor Angela Merkel said during a visit to Poland in February that she hoped the neighbouring country would 鈥�cooperate in terms of climate protection鈥�, Ulrich Kr枚kel writes in Rheinische Post. But neither Poland鈥檚 current national-conservative PiS government nor its more liberal predecessor under Donald Tusk, the current president of the European Council, 鈥渨ere going to break with the tradition of protecting and subsidising the domestic coal industry鈥�, Kr枚kel writes. Autonomous supply security is sacred for a country that has been occupied by foreign powers so many times in the past, he explains. Poland is therefore wary both of projects like the German-Russian Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea and of new wind parks 鈥� 鈥渁rguably because most manufacturers come from abroad, from Scandinavia, Austria or Germany鈥�, he writes. The author says Polish climate protection advocates could put their hopes on only one problematic asset: smog, which is becoming a growing public health issue in 鈥渢he China of Europe鈥�.
For more information, see the 威力彩玩法 dossier Germany鈥檚 energy transition in the European context.听
Handelsblatt Online
The German Green Party鈥檚 new economic policy concept 鈥渋s going to demand a lot from companies鈥�, as the party itself puts it, Silke Kersting writes on Handelsblatt Online. The party wants to 鈥渞eflect environmental costs in prices in an ecologic-social market economy鈥� and 鈥渄ecouple economic growth from the consumption of resources鈥�, Kersting explains. The Greens want to encourage companies 鈥渢o engage in ecologic modernisation鈥� with a mixture of supportive and restrictive policies, she writes. 聽鈥淭he eco-party needs to get rid of its image to prohibit everything鈥� in order to avoid a further slide in popular support, Kersting adds. The Greens therefore 鈥�count on dialogue and the opportunities of change鈥�, she writes.
In a separate commentary for Handelsblatt Online, Kersting calls the Greens鈥� initiative for ecologic modernisation 鈥渁 first step that other parties should follow鈥�. But the party鈥檚 concept was also 鈥渓acking the international perspective鈥�, which was needed to make sure Germany鈥檚 economy remains competitive, she writes.
Read the article in German (behind paywall).
For background, see the 威力彩玩法 factsheet The Green Party's draft election programme - a first look.
Green Party / Arepo Consult
Last year鈥檚 increase in CO2聽emissions makes it increasingly unlikely that Germany will reach its 2020 climate target, according to a short analysis by Arepo Consult for the Green Party. Emissions would have to drop by 40 million tonnes per year until 2020, whereas one year ago a yearly drop of 30 million tonnes would have been sufficient.听
The consultancy estimates that emissions rose from 902 million to 906 million tonnes in 2016. It argues that structural change in the power sector, more support for efficiency, and an energy transition in the transport sector are urgently necessary to make rapid progress on emissions. Spiegel Online ran a long article on the study entitled 鈥淕ood bye climate target鈥�.
Find the study in German聽.
Read the Green Party press release in German聽.
Read the Spiegel Online article in German聽.
For background on last year鈥檚 emission increase, read the 威力彩玩法 article聽Little headway in 2016 for Germany鈥檚 energy transition聽and find the latest data by energy market research group AG Energiebilanzen (AGEB) in the news digest item聽Energy consumption again increases slightly.
Mitteldeutsche Zeitung
Parts of Germany鈥檚 electricity transmission highway dubbed Suedostlink, running from the windy north to industrial centres in the south, could be constructed above the ground - contrary to earlier planning, Marko Jeschor writes in Mitteldeutsche Zeitung. Officials in central Germany are worried that ground cables could damage too much of the fertile soil in the Salzlandkreis region in central Germany, he writes. The ground cable鈥檚 ten-meter wide concrete channel would require 鈥渕assive鈥� construction work, Jeschor explains. Grid operator 50 Hertz had already said that the cable, which is slated for construction by 2022, could also run above the ground, Jeschor adds.
Read the article in German .
For more information, see the 威力彩玩法 dossier The energy transition and Germany鈥檚 power grid.
