To continue leading the Energiewende it started, Germany now needs to follow other progressive nations and announce a swift coal exit. But the “Coal Commission” tasked with structuring the coal phaseout seems to be dragging its feet. L. Michael Buchsbaum takes a look.
Year: 2018
Climate leadership means ending fossil fuel production
This year alone, the world has faced unprecedented floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts on virtually every continent. A safe climate future requires ending the age of Big Oil. Tzeporah Berman and Lili Fuhr take a look.
There is a long positive road ahead for solar in Brazil
Emiliano Bellini of PV Magazine interviewed Luiz Augusto Barroso, the head of the Brazilian government-run energy agency EPE. He explains how the newly-implemented mechanism for power auctions increases competition.
A dirty deal: Germans paying billons for coal power that will never be used
Renewable energy is making coal redundant in Germany – so why are lignite plants still being held as a reserve? The costs of keeping them on standby are massive, and the emissions are even worse. L. Michael Buchsbaum takes an in-depth look.
Craig Morris bids this project farewell
Will 2018 be the year of new nuclear design success?
The new third generation (EPR) nuclear reactor is being built in France and Finland and is also proposed in the UK. A similar design went into operation in South Korea in December 2016 – but it remains the only one running commercially worldwide. That could change soon, however, as Craig Morris explains.
Will the Energiewende succeed?
The energy transition not only needs to reduce carbon emissions, but also strengthen communities. The gap between social sciences and natural sciences must be breached. Craig Morris explains why.
How many new power lines will Germany need?
Researchers at Germany’s Öko-Institut have published a review of nearly a dozen previous studies on the need for new power lines in a future renewable electricity supply. The main finding is that the research community isn’t yet speaking the same language. Craig Morris explains.
The German electricity grid: notoriously swamped?
A major challenge for the German energy transition will be the adaptation of its grid infrastructure to an increasing share of renewables, especially wind and solar. Justus Irmen looks at how the country can become more flexible and avoid transmission bottlenecks.
Polish coal, Polish smog, Polish chaos
Poland has some of the worst air quality in the European Union, and 2017 was marked by grassroot efforts to fight smog. It seems that the Polish government is slowly getting on board. Michał Olszewski asks: will Poland cut emissions in time, or will 2018 bring fines from the EU?