While the picture being painted of gains in climate action spending is rosy, those who’ve read the fine print of the budget negotiations know the reality: in order to further bloat agricultural subsidies, European Union leaders have made deep cuts to clean energy infrastructure development funds that will be felt continent-wide for decades to come. Paul Hockenos takes a look.
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Our Discussions on Nuclear Power Should Include a Peace Dividend
On the second anniversary of the nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, Craig Morris talks about what – despite the flood of information – still needs to be better understood and why the debate about our future energy supply should include a peace dividend.
EU Drives German Energy Policy
Yesterday, the German government held a press conference on the energy transition, which apparently put a lot of reporters to sleep. During the event, Environmental Minister Peter Altmaier found time to engage in a debate with us on Twitter. Craig Morris thinks he won that debate, by the way. And the real news came out of Brussels, not Berlin: German energy policy may violate competition rules.
Feed-in Tariffs For Nuclear, Anyone?
Feed-in tariffs are often referred to as a startup mechanism for a fledgling technology (renewables), and it is assumed that they will be done away with at some point. Craig Morris wonders why the nuclear sector now needs them after 50 years of subsidies.
The German Energy Transition and its Neighbors – Part 4
Is Germany not simply switching off its own nuclear plants in order to import nuclear power from its neighbors? It turns out that nuclear plants in neighboring countries have always run at full capacity and simply cannot be ramped up any further to sell more to Germany. Craig Morris discusses the recent findings of a report by the German Institute for Applied Ecology (Oeko-Institute).
We’ve Come a Long Way, Baby
Everyone understandably looks towards the future to see how Germany will manage to increase the share of renewables in its power supply, but occasionally it’s worth taking a look back to see how far we have come – far, far further than both critics and supporters expected. Craig Morris takes a look.
What Americans Don’t Get About Germany’s Renewable Energy Revolution
American views on Germany’s commitment to renewable energy sources tend to misunderstand the transition’s political, economic, and historical underpinnings. Where does this misunderstanding come from? The American journalist, Paul Hockenos, takes a look.
The German Energy Transition and its Neighbors – Part 3
How are Germany’s Eastern neighbors Poland and the Czech Republic reacting to the German renewable energy surge? Craig Morris discusses a recent study by the German Institute of Applied Ecology (Oeko-Institute) on the country’s energy transition and its impact on power flows with its neighbors.
The German Energy Transition and its Neighbors – Part 2
Delineating between commercial and physical power flows is not a task for the faint-hearted. Fortunately, researchers have done the work for us – and found that power is sold when it is cheap, not to prevent blackouts. As part of a four-part series, Craig Morris discusses a recent study on this matter conducted by the German Institute of Applied Ecology (Oeko-Institut).
Automobile 3.0
Increasing demand for e-mobility does not exclude improving cars today. The days of internal combustion-propelled automobiles are numbered. But what will replace them? It’s still an open question says Paul Hockenos.