South Africa has the only nuclear power station on the continent. Now, the second biggest economy in Africa, and the most carbon polluting, plans to add another six or eight to the fold. But the cost could run into the trillions – larger, even, than the annual national budget, explains SA-based science writer Leonie Joubert.
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The Energy Union – A chance for 100% RE?
Can the Energy Union offer a chance for 100% Renewable Energy (RE) in Europe? The ‘Energy Union with a forward looking climate policy’ has the goal to supply EU consumers with secure, sustainable, competitive and affordable energy. However, it is uncertain what the Energy Union means in practice and there still remains a huge gap between official claims and reality. Angelika Haaser deliberates on how the Energy Union should be designed in order to promote 100% renewable energy and energy efficiency.
“5 megatrends” for a global energy transition
The WWF and German renewable power provider Lichtblick have joined forces to produce an overview of five ways in which the entire world is transitioning to renewables. Craig Morris reviews the five megatrends, which were published only in German.
What Germany can learn from California’s innovative start-up culture – An Interview with Cem Oezdemir
Smart energy infrastructure and an entrepreneurial spirit will play an important role in driving energy transitions around the world. Cem Özdemir, Co-Chairman of the German Green Party, traveled to San Francisco to witness how innovative solutions are driving low-carbon development in the Bay Area. Here he explains how California could serve as a model for German start-ups.
Electric vehicles will drive Germany’s Energiewende
Transportation in Germany accounts for around 20 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions. With 95% of fuel used in the transportation sector derived from fossil fuels, there is much room for improvement. According to Giovanni Dubon, the solution to this is electrifying the transportation sector.
No business case for lots of wind and solar
In recent years, the increasing competitiveness of wind and solar power has been widely hailed. But there is a cloud to this silver lining – power production does not match power demand. As a result, the actual value of wind and solar power will decrease as we get more of it. Craig Morris says policymakers should pay attention.
The German feed-in tariff is a revenue-raising instrument, not a subsidy
Foreign observers sometimes think that the German feed-in tariff is a subsidy that comes out of the federal budget. In reality, it’s a levy that helps to raise revenue for communities and a model that should be copied, as R. Andreas Kraemer points out.
The Green Peace Dividend – Why green technologies matter for international security
Violent conflicts and security crises around the world have many different causes and effects. The vast majority of them, however, are in one way or another related to energy policy. Yet making this link apparent to policy makers has been challenging. Experts from the foreign policy, security and energy communities have been reluctant to fully grasp the security implications of promising green energy technology and market developments, argue Rebecca Bertram and Charlotte Beck.
Energy transition – a view from Kenya
For many rural Kenyans, it’s too expensive for households to pay to be connected to the national electricity grid. Some communities, who live near the right kinds of rivers are opting for a cheaper, more sustainable option: small scale hydro plants, to power lights, charge mobile phones, and pick up on the airwaves. South Africa-based science writer Leonie Joubert takes a closer look at a thriving model for community development.
Tackling climate change will reap benefits for human health
Curbing climate change could be the biggest global health opportunity of the 21st century. But if we choose not to act, we could reverse all the progress made by economic development in the last 50 years towards improving global public health. Roz Pidcock summarizes the findings of a new Lancet report.