威力彩玩法

Sigmar Gabriel鈥檚 aim to create a good reputation for his party in the fields of economy and energy as Germany鈥檚 federal minister has failed, writes Heike G枚bel in an opinion piece for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 really show any deep understanding of the requirements of a competitive economy, even though the necessary corrections for the Energiewende had offered him many opportunities. That he is now switching his office for the foreign ministry shows a lack of interest,鈥� writes G枚bel.

Read the opinion piece in German .

Germany鈥檚 energy transition is no longer a political project that can be steered by the government as independent customers have started pushing ahead with the project themselves, E.ON鈥檚 CEO Johannes Teyssen said at a conference in Berlin. 鈥淭he times of paternalistic energy and climate policy are over,鈥� Teyssen said at business daily Handelsblatt鈥檚 annual energy industry conference. Digitalisation and technological progress in the energy industry allowed customers to organise their power supply individually and become independent of political or corporate control. The future of energy would 鈥渘o longer be made in party headquarters, ministries, government agencies鈥� or company headquarters, Teyssen explained.
The German government could not induce more energy transition any longer, nor was US President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration able to derail it, he added. Customers were going to decide how they want to balance low power prices and climate protection and all companies and politicians could do was to provide counsel. 鈥淎ffordable and decentralised storages can change energy structures of the future more than the most ambitious resolutions at climate conferences,鈥� Teyssen said. A key policy guideline for advancing climate protection would be a uniform CO2-price tag as 鈥渘o other measure鈥� could achieve a greater emissions reduction at lower costs in the power sector, he added.
William M. Colton, vice president of US oil and gas corporation Exxon Mobil, said at the same conference that Germany鈥檚 Energiewende was an example of a top-down approach for climate protection that had caused power costs to rise. The US, on the other hand, had achieved an even greater emissions reduction at lower costs by an energy 鈥渞enaissance鈥� based on natural gas that had been achieved by the innovation capacity of freely operating companies. An 鈥渁ggressive鈥� approach to climate protection prevalent in many European countries could hamper the long-term growth prospects of the region, Colton warned.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development () hopes to engage developing countries in mobilising green finance projects with a new investment platform, according to NAMA News. Around 25 countries involved in the 鈥渄ialogue鈥� platform, GreenInvest, met in Singapore on 9 and 10 January, the UN-sponsored website said. The UN Environment Programme is developing and managing the site, which came out of an initiative started under Mexico鈥檚 G20 presidency in 2012. The three themes of focus are: 鈥淕reening foreign direct investment (FDI); the role of financial technology (鈥榝intech鈥�) in advancing green finance; and enabling developing countries to effectively participate in international cooperation to accelerate green finance,鈥� according to NAMA News.

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The global market for e-mobility is being pulled by China, where half a million e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids were sold last year, according to an analysis by the Center of Automotive Management (CAM). This is in contrast to Germany, where only around 25,000 were sold. The e-car market share was 1.8 percent in China, 0.75 percent in Germany, 1.4 percent in France und UK, 0.9 percent in the US and 29 percent in Norway, according to a Spiegel Online report on the study. CAM head Stefan Bratzel said last year marked the 鈥渕ental tipping point for e-mobility鈥�.

Read the article in German and a short CAM press release on the study .

For background, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.

Eighty-six companies and business associations from Germany鈥檚 North, East, and South have complained to Chancellor Angela Merkel about 鈥渦nfair鈥� grid fees, reports Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. They argue in a letter that grid fees must be the same all over the country, instead of being higher in regions with strong renewable production. The government cabinet was set to approve a new law on grid fees on Wednesday.

Read the report in German .

Find background in the 威力彩玩法 factsheet Power grid fees - Unfair and opaque?