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.
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Germany’s next nuclear plant closes for good
And then there were eight… This weekend, the Grafenrheinfeld nuclear plant in northern Bavaria will shut down permanently. It is the first nuclear plant to close since 2011.
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.
How batteries can stabilize the grid
With Tesla’s announcement of battery storage systems for households, storage for photovoltaics has become a major news item. Furthermore, one of the main questions about the energy transition is how the grid will be stabilized without central power plants. Craig Morris visited German battery firm Younicos and got an answer to this question.
In Poland, prosumer means enemy
In March this year, Poland finally decided to support decentralized rooftop PV. Since then, opponents have managed to dismantle the project step by step. Michał Olszewski reports from Poland.
Prokon as a test for community energy
German utilities have gone on a shopping spree, taking over struggling planning firms to gain sorely needed expertise and assets. The trend can be heralded as a sign that these firms are finally taking part in the energy transition – or as a potential threat to the community cooperative movement that fostered the Energiewende all along. Craig Morris says the fate of Prokon is exemplary in this respect.
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.
Grid defection and why we don’t want it
The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) recently deepened its investigation into retail and commercial power customers using solar and battery storage instead of the grid. Craig Morris says the study is especially useful because it shows utilities that fighting the trend will only make things worse.
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.