Recent developments in Germany have largely been centered on the transformation of electricity production, but to meet its stated targets, Germany needs to double down on efforts in the areas of transportation, heat and energy efficiency, as Boyan Dobrev points out.
Author: Energiewende Team
Germany’s energy transition is not an island of its own
The restructuring of the energy system in one of the world’s leading industrialized nations is undoubtedly a highly ambitious undertaking. There is no blueprint for this energy transition that would offer a simple step-by-step procedure to follow. In that sense, the Energiewende is an open learning process and pilot project at the same time, one that is being observed internationally with a mixture of hope and skepticism. However, there is one thing that the German energy transition is certainly not: an island of its own that isolates Germany’s energy economy. On the contrary, a quick overview of the world’s state of affairs with regard to energy shows that the global energy transition is now picking up speed, as Ralf Fücks points out.
100% renewable energy – Embracing the “exponential growth of solutions”
While we keep burning harmful fossil fuels on an unimaginable scale, there’s also a number of good news: A growing number of communities around the world set themselves a goal of 100% renewables. What we need most are thus visionaries and political will, argues Stefan Schurig.
Surge in renewables remakes California’s energy landscape
Thanks to favorable geography, innovative government policies, and businesses that see the benefits of clean energy investments, California is closing in on its goal of generating a third of its electricity from renewables by 2020. By Cheryl Katz.
An Alaskan island goes 100% renewable
Kodiak Island in Alaska has traditionally had a lot of hydropower but needed to cover the rest of its demand with expensive and dirty diesel. Now, with the help of wind power and the introduction of different smart-grid measures, the island receives 100% clean energy: Power prices have gone down and the local economy has been revigorated. Laurie Guevara-Stone reports from the sustainability frontier.
Asia at the crossroads: will it choose old energy – or turn to the new?
Asia is at a critical moment in its energy development. Hundreds of millions of people across Asia will be gaining access to modern electricity systems for the first time in the coming years. The question is: will they be supplied with power from traditional central plants, or by low-carbon, distributed power systems? According to David Fullbrook, senior consultant with DNV GL Energy’s Clean Technology Centre in Singapore, people in Asia would benefit greatly from a transition to clean energy. But he notes that this will only happen if policymakers chart a clear course towards such a future.
Emerging economies surge forward with renewables
Why is renewable energy adoption in the world’s emerging economies growing nearly twice as fast than in industrialized nations? Laurie Guevara-Stone summarizes a hopeful report that shows that renewables are already the cheapest source of electricity in a number of emerging markets today, helping to bring affordable and sustainable electricity to everybody.
Madness by design: A voluntary climate levy with no climate effect
It’s really gone too far: German Energy Secretary Sigmar Gabriel’s already minimal attempt to save Germany’s 2020 climate target of reducing emissions by 40% compared with 1990 levels has been watered down further so that it is barely recognizable as a coherent climate policy. Lili Fuhr takes a look at the German coal discussion.
Electricity market design: Will demand react to variations in power supply?
Traditionally, power production has followed demand. Due to the growth of renewable power production, it is increasingly becoming lucrative to actively manage demand to profit from fluctuating power prices. Benjamin Bayer reports about first experiences with demand response in the US and explains how the regulatory framework needs to change in Germany.
The future of utilities: extinction or re-invention? A transatlantic perspective
In her recent paper published by the Heinrich Boell Foundation, energy expert Susanne Fratzscher, identifies seven transformative trends that utilities in the US and Germany will have to face in the coming years. Susanne goes on to outline models that will likely help this transatlantic utility transformation to succeed. Here is a summary of her findings.