A few weeks ago, German Environmental Minister Peter Altmaier (Christian Democratic Union – CDU) said he planned to redesign German energy policy so that the renewables surcharge passed on to ratepayers would not rise any further. Altmaier provided details last week, just days after the Greens produced their own counter-proposal. Craig Morris takes a look at this proposal.
Archives
The Myth of “We’ll Just do Both”
Some energy companies and politicians argue that the choice is not between renewables and fossil fuels, but a question of compromise of holistic energy mix, sometimes framed as “all of the above” strategy. Kirsten Hasberg argues that this strategy is flawed.
The German Energy Transition and its Neighbors – Part 1
Germany has been criticized for the impact of its energy transition on Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland, all of which charge that uncontrolled surges in renewables are destabilizing their grids and/or reducing the profitability of conventional power firms. 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).
Why German Conservatives Should Learn to Love the Clean Energy Transition
Within the German Christian Democratic party, resistance against the German Energiewende persists. Our guest author, Paul Hockenos, explains why this stubbornness might actually hurt Merkel’s party in upcoming elections.
The German Coal Myth
Germany Has More Solar Power Because Everyone Wins
Why has solar power been so successful in a not very sun-blessed industrial country like Germany? John Farrell shares the main secret of the success of the German Energiewende: Democratization of power generation.
The German Government’s Energy Solidarity Plan
Last week, German Environmental Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) and Industry Minister Philipp Rösler (FDP) reached an agreement to scale back industry exemptions to the renewables surcharge, slow down new wind and solar projects, and take money back from existing renewable power generators.
Welcome to our New Energiewende Blog
Germany has drawn a lot of international attention for its aim to switch to a renewable energy economy and leave nuclear and fossil energy behind. There are mixed views on the German Energy Transition – or Energiewende – and on the implications on the future role of coal, trends in energy prices and effects on carbon emissions. In many respects, the German Energiewende serves as a reference case from which other countries can learn important lessons. Thus, our website aims to explain to an international audience what is currently going on in Germany. The blog serves as a platform for communicating the German story internationally in a concise, accurate, relevant and timely manner.
But the story doesn’t end here. We want this blog to reflect some of the key questions that you may have on what is going on in Germany right now. In fact, we invite you to be part of our discussion. Therefore, the blog will not only include regular posts from our lead author, Craig Morris, but will also be open to your own contributions and comments. Feel free to contact us at: Energiewende@us.boell.org
We look forward to sharing our exciting story with you and including you in our policy discussions. Please sign up here to receive regular updates on the Energiewende.
Your German Energy Transition team
Rebecca Bertram & Alexander Franke