Could the Balkans export renewable energy to mainland Europe in the near future? Paul Hockenos investigates if western European investment and the resources of South Eastern Europe would create a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Author: Paul Hockenos
Low-Carbon Energy Policies Aren’t Just Pain
Renewables and climate protection, so goes common wisdom, are costly endeavors that inevitably throw a spanner in industrial economies geared for growth. But an excellent new study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory for the European Climate Foundation contradicts this ostensible truism. As Paul Hockenos explains, it shows that while the transition to a low-carbon energy system may indeed cost money, economies can grow – not despite low-emissions policies, but also because of them.
Robert Habeck: Germany’s First and Only Minister for the Energiewende
Germany’s northernmost region Schleswig Holstein was the first to establish an Energiewende ministry, which is now lead by the Green Robert Habeck. Paul Hockenos explains how the State became a pioneer of renewables – and the challenges that come with being the forerunner.
Central Europe’s Bad Bet
Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, also known as the Visegrad Group, are all in the process of making profound mistakes concerning their energy supplies, which will cost these countries dearly for decades to come, as Paul Hockenos warns.
Germany’s Energiewende: From Wunderkind to Troubled Adolescent?
As Germany’s Energiewende proceeds, it faces new challenges that the new grand coalition will have to deal with. Paul Hockenos takes a look at the next steps for Germany’s clean energy shift.
Germany’s PV sector: from boom to bust…and back again?
The German PV industry is going through a time of creative destruction. Paul Hockenos talked to different actors in Germany who all agree that only the most ingenious companies will emerge strengthened from the current crisis.
Berliners for the Climate
Berliners go to the polls this Sunday (Nov. 3). But it’s not to elect a new parliament or chancellor – or even a municipal administration. Rather there’s a city-wide referendum about energy, namely of putting the transmission grid into citizens’ hands and founding a clean energy-minded municipal utility in Berlin.
Local, Decentralized, Innovative: Why Germany’s Municipal Utilities are Right for the Energiewende
What role do municipal utilities play in the German Energiewende? In many cases, they have become the drivers of local innovation, reports Paul Hockenos.
Power from Below Drives Clean Energy Campaign
Even though opinion polls show Germans staunchly behind the clean energy transition (82 percent), the barrage of negative press of late has clearly wounded the Energiewende.
German Exports of Coal Power Way Up
New figures out show a huge increase in German electricity exports for the first half of 2013. Green power being sold across borders? No, sadly not. It’s ugly power – brown coal itself, as Paul Hockenos explains.