The outcome was roughly predictable at least as far back as January, but today Germany’s four transit grid operators (TSOs) announced the specific figure for the renewables surcharge for 2015. But the decrease is so small that retail rates might not even be affected. Will the government at least admit its new policies are not the reason? Craig Morris investigates.
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Is offshore wind the big story?
Increasingly, we read that offshore wind in Germany is getting going. While the news is good, it overstates the role of offshore wind in the country’s energy transition. Craig Morris explains.
While critics debate Energiewende, Germany is gaining a global advantage
An often heard criticism of Germany’s Energiewende is its high price tag for consumers. Peter Sopher argues that a focus on price alone is shortsighted – as the economic and societal benefits outweight the cost by far.
The price of new nuclear revisited
Cash cow of power sector goes dry
Over at Renew Economy, our colleague Giles Parkinson reviews a study by HSBC showing that “generators are to be the biggest losers” in the energy transition currently taking place worldwide. Today, Craig Morris talks about what that looks like in Germany.
How BRICS countries view the Energiewende
Regular readers of this blog have a good overview of how North America and the UK view Germany’s energy transition, but what do emerging economies think? The Konrad Adenauer Foundation has taken some comprehensive surveys. Craig Morris investigates.
100% renewable energy as centerpiece of a climate action plan
At the end of September, the heads of states met in New York for a climate summit to pledge action on climate change. While renewables were not at the center of attention, Anna Leidreiter argues that future commitments need to contain a pledge to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050. A growing number of cities, regions and even countries around the world have already proven that such a path is realistic.
Cloudy skies over Czech photovoltaics
In many countries, solar energy is enjoying great success – photovoltaic modules are increasingly affordable and available to those interested in producing their own electricity. In the Czech Republic, however, those investing in and building solar power stations must constantly resist efforts by the government to destabilise the business environment, as Martin Sedlák explains.
Can the energy transition make Germany independent of Russian gas?
A new study by Fraunhofer IWES investigates how much natural gas could be offset by renewables and efficiency, and one graphic indicates the implicit message that the energy transition could make Germany independent of gas imports from Russia by 2030. Craig Morris investigates.
Learning from the cell phone phenomenon
Microgrids based around solar can help developing countries leapfrog into a new energy paradigm – they make clean and cheap electricity available to the poorest, as Laurie Guevara-Stone reports.