Oliver Geden and Severin Fischer of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) recently published a study on how the German Energiewende fits into the European context. Today, Geden sums up the issue for us.
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E.ON threatens premature closure of nuclear plant
One common question from pro-nuclear Energiewende critics is what Germany would look like today if it had not switched off 40 percent of its nuclear capacity in 2011. In recent weeks, we have gotten a taste of the answer: massive voluntary shutdowns of coal and nuclear. Craig Morris investigates.
What price for carbon?
Will the EU 2030 carbon target revive the ETS market? The ETS scheme has been dismissed for its failure to generate a carbon price high enough to stimulate investment in low carbon technologies. Today, guest authors Jan Ondrich and Martin Bebiak discuss whether the EC’s new climate proposal will remedy this perceived failure. They say that a switch from coal to natural gas will require a carbon price of 36 euros per ton.
Diaspora-Driven Campaigns Finance Clean Energy Projects
For countries with widespread and established emigrant communities, crowdfunding can be a means to support sustainable development at home, reports Paul Hockenos.
The right to make your own energy
This week, the European Commission will respond to Europe’s first citizens’ initiative, this time for the “right to water.” Craig Morris wonders whether making your energy is not also a right.
Germans face high fossil fuel costs
Germans are increasingly investigating “energy poverty” – and discovering that electricity is a smaller item than motor fuel and heat. The State of Baden-Württemberg, where our Craig Morris lives, recently published an overview for the state.
Seehofer Shifts on Südlink
CSU party leader and Bavarian Minister-President Horst Seehofer’s sudden about-face on Südlink, the planned long-distance transmission corridor for renewable energy running through his state, is little more than political pandering to cosmetic concerns without accounting for long-term needs.
The Economic or Competitive Advantages of the Energiewende for Germany
The German Energiewende has repeatedly come under scrutiny for its cost. R. Andreas Kraemer, founding director of Ecologic, argues that the economic benefits prevail: Germany has matured a new branch of industry that creates economic growth and makes Germany more energy independent.
German imports of nuclear power – the myth revisited
When Germany shut down nearly half of its nuclear capacity in the week after Fukushima, critics charged that the country would only be importing more nuclear power from its neighbors as a result. Craig Morris says it is a physical impossibility.
50 shades of green: what determines our electricity future?
In the last decade, governments, the European Commission and numerous research institutes have produced one scenario for the electricity system after the other. These scenarios inform us of the future electricity mix and, importantly, of its costs, as a base for national and European energy policies. Johan Lilliestam argues that cost can not be the only determinant of our future electricity system – first, we have to politically determine what kind of energy future we want to live in.