Proponents of renewables (including this website) often praise “energy democracy.” Nonetheless, hard data on the benefits are few and far between. Now, a new study provides an overview. Craig Morris reports.
Year: 2015
Greening the transport sector – A view from South Africa
A former mayor of Bogota famously said that a developed country isn’t one where poor people own cars, it’s one where rich people use public transport. According to local experts, greening up the transport sector in South Africa should focus on efficient, affordable public transport, rather than rolling out privately-owned electric vehicles, writes Leonie Joubert.
Turning Point: Decoupling Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Economic Growth
2015 marks an important year for international climate politics. The challenge is to find ways in which economic growth can be decoupled from greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption. In some parts of the world, this decoupling trend is already happening, as a recent Heinrich Boell Foundation study finds.
The VW scandal is an opportunity for the Energiewende
Some foreign onlookers predict that Volkswagen’s emissions fraud will discredit German climate efforts. German climate campaigners see the event as an opportunity to bring the energy transition to the transport sector, as Craig Morris writes.
Are we losing Denmark next?
The news has hardly been reported in English yet, but the new conservative governing coalition elected in Denmark this summer plans to abandon the country’s ambitious targets for a carbon-free economy. The move could provide a precedent for Germany. Craig Morris reports.
The Polish Energy Drought
The extreme heatwave this summer has put additional pressure on the Polish power system. Energy planners and policy makers in the country should no longer just be worried about power outages in winter, argues Michal Olszewski. Summer heat could be just as disruptive.
New German cogeneration proposals
Germany’s energy transition is mainly one thing: an electricity transition. Little is happening with transportation and heat. Now, the German government has proposed new rules for cogeneration. Craig Morris says the reception can be summed up in one word: disappointing.
German support for renewables high, low for nuclear and coal
A recent survey conducted among the German public finds continuing support for the Energiewende. Furthermore, only a third said the cost was too high. Craig Morris says a closer look also reveals that people who already have systems close by are less likely to oppose them.
How far will Germany go on fracking? Understanding the proposed new legislation
Currently, there is a lot of confusion around the legal status of unconventional gas extraction in Germany. Lorenzo Cremonese summarizes Germany’s existing experience with fracking and clarifies open questions around the proposed new fracking legislation.
How cheap can solar get? Very cheap indeed
If current rates of improvement hold, solar power will be incredibly cheap in just a few years’ time, writes famous author and thinker Ramez Naam. According to Naam, electricity cost is from now on coupled to the ever-decreasing price of technology. That is profoundly deflationary and disruptive.