Energy efficiency measures are low hanging fruits to achieve more sustainable energy systems. Still, the topic is not very high on the political agenda in Latin America. A new study compares progress made by the countries in the region and names best practices. Sandra Guzman summarizes the findings.
Year: 2015
Zürich on the path to a 2,000-Watt Society
The City of Zürich’s Environmental Department says that the town is moving further away from the target it adopted in 2008 in a referendum.
Why Germany has no need for north-to-south power lines
Germany’s grid expansion between north and south has caused a lot of controversy. Instead of building new power lines, the Energiewende should embrace smart solutions in form of demand-side management and by building renewables close to the largest power consumers in the south, argues Andreas Kraemer.
Where is the energy transition headed in 2015?
In an overall successful year 2014, the German Energiewende saw a lot of changes. 2015 will be characterized by international developments like falling fossil fuel prices. To keep the Energiewende on track, Matthias Ruchser demands to finally tap potentials in the heating and transport sector.
German government announces new rules for solar
As requested by Brussels, Germany is taking the first steps to switch from feed-in tariffs to a system of reverse auctions by 2017. This year, the first rounds will be held for photovoltaics. Craig Morris investigates.
Did Germany reject or just postpone capacity payments?
The big news from Germany in the energy sector in January is the government’s apparent rejection of a capacity market. But energy giant E.ON says the issue will not go away. Craig Morris explains why Germany is likely to get a small capacity market through the backdoor.
49 percent of Germans doubt success of Energiewende
Two surveys published in January show where the public and the business world perceives shortcomings in Germany’s energy transition. Support remains high, however. Craig Morris investigates.
China’s energy transition 1.0 or 2.0: How can it trigger a greater share of renewable energy?
While China is encouraging the increase in renewable energy following Germany’s example, Germany has – in recent months – been focusing its energy discussions increasingly around the need to reform its electricity market. This experience can offer highly valuable lessons for China and other countries for the time when these too have to begin designing their energy systems to account for larger shares of intermittent renewable energies. The current Chinese Energy Transition 1.0 is not sufficient to allow for a much greater share of renewables in the energy system, explains Yang Yu.
Solar eclipse will simulate widespread solar power storage
On 20 March 2015, a partial solar eclipse will pass over Germany. Craig Morris says the impact will provide a glimpse of a future in which most households not only have solar roofs, but also battery storage.
Germany’s Energiewende requires sophisticated governance, political stamina
Conceptualizing a policy as broad and ambitious as Energiewende – Germany’s goal to transition nearly 100 percent of its electricity supply to renewable energy by 2050 – is one thing. Implementing it is another thing entirely. What is required is good governance, as Peter Sopher explains.