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.
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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.
Four reasons Jeremy Corbyn’s innovative energy policy is no 80s throwback
This Saturday, Jeremy Corbyn might be elected the Labour Party’s next leader. But what future does he see for the UK’s energy policy? Stephen Hall argues Corbyn’s ideas are partly inspired by the success of Germany’s small-scale community energy.
UK: next renewable energy market to go?
In a recent blog post, Craig Morris talked about how the Spanish and Italian wind and solar markets have recently collapsed. Today, he turns his attention to the UK, where the future also looks bleak. And he says renewable energy campaigners should demand “fair payment” and reject the term “subsidy.”
Happy with 25 percent wind and solar? The case of Italy and Spain
While the world celebrates unprecedented renewable capacity additions, there are clear signs that this growth stops for wind and solar at a small share of the market. Italy and Spain are perfect examples for this, explains Craig Morris.
A watershed year for climate protection
With the climate summit in Paris and the adoption of the Sustainable Development goals by the United Nations, 2015 is a decisive year for the future of our planet. Klaus Töpfer evaluates what needs to happen to make this a year for humanity to take action on climate change.
28 billion annually for the Energiewende?
A new study is making the rounds. It puts the price tag for renewable electricity higher than ever before. And it makes the same mistake as other high estimates – no subsequent savings are subtracted from these calculations. What happens if we do that? Craig Morris investigates.
Switzerland and Denmark: two hubs of power trading
The Swiss and Danish electricity sectors have quite a bit in common. Both are flooded with electricity from all sides. Yet, their power mixes are very different. The Danes have mainly wind and coal; the Swiss, primarily nuclear and hydro. The power lines were mainly built for coal and nuclear. Craig Morris takes a look.
Switzerland temporarily nuclear-free
In August, the fifth of five nuclear plants in Switzerland went off-line, but only for two days. There were no blackouts. Craig Morris investigates.
How the European power sector copes during the heat wave
The summer is drawing to a close in Europe, and it was one of the hottest ever. Thermal power plants (coal and nuclear) had to ramp down production in numerous countries due to a lack of cooling water, but the heat also affected solar power production. Craig Morris reports.