The Kazakh government has set out to modernize its fossil fuel-dependent economy, often in cooperation with German partners. The country is home to ample supplies of both uranium and renewable sources of energy. Whether it can stay its ambitious course and sustain green developments to meet its targets for 2050 remains to be seen, reminds Komila Nabiyeva.
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Energiewende 2.0 – still under development
Last Thursday, the Who’s Who of Germany’s Energiewende met in Berlin to discuss the future of Germany’s transition to renewables. While agreement among participants existed over the Energiewende’s success story to date, opinions differed on the right path to the future. Alexander Franke says that 2014 will be a decisive year for the success of Germany’s ambitious project.
What future role for today’s utilities?
We live in an age of quickly changing business models, and the trend is clearly towards Big Box megastores – to the detriment of mom-and-pop shops. But Craig Morris says the energy sector is shaping up to go in the opposite direction.
Energy subsidies – Less is more
Cut support for renewables? Sure, but why not start with fossil fuel subsidies that amounted to US$ 544 billion in 2012? While the German Renewable Energy Act will need to be reformed, the fundamental issue of creating a level playing field for renewables remains challenging in an environment where fossil fuels are highly subsidized, argues Matthias Ruchser.
Feed-in tariffs do not guarantee anything
Feed-in tariffs only pay for power produced, which depends on the weather – and no one can guarantee that. So while the foreign press repeatedly speaks of guaranteed profits from feed-in tariffs, Craig Morris says German investors in wind and solar power have a different story to tell.
Are the Western Balkans the new Desertec?
Could the Balkans export renewable energy to mainland Europe in the near future? Paul Hockenos investigates if western European investment and the resources of South Eastern Europe would create a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Vauban: District of the 21st century
A barracks as a forerunner in terms of urban development and sustainable living? What sounds like a mismatch is today the home of more than 5,000 citizens of Freiburg, Germany in a district called Vauban, as Julian Wortmann explains.
The run on the bank
A giant German wind farm planning firm recently filed for bankruptcy, and the event made headlines. Craig Morris says the press coverage does not always clearly explain the difference between feed-in tariffs and “Genussrechte,” something that does not exist in English but could be translated as “participatory rights.” The event makes him think of an old Jimmy Stewart movie.
Criticism of feed-in tariffs often actually about solar
Recently, Craig Morris discussed an article that misrepresented feed-in tariffs (FITs). He also spoke with the two people quoted in the article, one of whom felt misrepresented – while the other was a prominent German spokesperson for renewables. He found that people describing policies are actually often talking about the technology effects, which the policies in question do not change.
Bad Press for Renewables
The German word Energiewende has yet to be adopted in Russia, where analysts are skeptical about the German energy transition. There the media presents it as an interesting but rather bizarre experiment which only a rich country like Germany can afford, finds Komila Nabiyeva.