For years, critics have attacked renewables by arguing that a transition to clean energies would be a money-losing business. Today, even Citibank estimates that transitioning to clean energy will globally save an estimated $1.8 trillion in comparison to a business-as-usual scenario by 2040. Karin Rives summarizes their findings.
All posts tagged: European Union
Are we losing Denmark next?
The news has hardly been reported in English yet, but the new conservative governing coalition elected in Denmark this summer plans to abandon the country’s ambitious targets for a carbon-free economy. The move could provide a precedent for Germany. Craig Morris reports.
How small German power consumers subsidize industry
German retail power rates are high, but industry electricity prices are low. A recent comparison of countries bordering the Netherlands reveals what an outlier Germany is. Craig Morris investigates.
Polish right-wing politics: a devil of decarbonization
On August 6, the new Polish president – Andrzej Duda, from the right-wing and anti European Law and Justice Party (PiS) – will be sworn into office. And if the current political winds do not change, we can expect a substantial shift in the Polish parliament after the general elections in the fall, warns Michał Olszewski. Current polls suggest that the PiS will gain a significant margin. Pessimists warn that we should be prepared for a “Hungarian scenario”.
The Energy Union – A chance for 100% RE?
Can the Energy Union offer a chance for 100% Renewable Energy (RE) in Europe? The ‘Energy Union with a forward looking climate policy’ has the goal to supply EU consumers with secure, sustainable, competitive and affordable energy. However, it is uncertain what the Energy Union means in practice and there still remains a huge gap between official claims and reality. Angelika Haaser deliberates on how the Energy Union should be designed in order to promote 100% renewable energy and energy efficiency.
“5 megatrends” for a global energy transition
The WWF and German renewable power provider Lichtblick have joined forces to produce an overview of five ways in which the entire world is transitioning to renewables. Craig Morris reviews the five megatrends, which were published only in German.
Germany’s energy transition is not an island of its own
The restructuring of the energy system in one of the world’s leading industrialized nations is undoubtedly a highly ambitious undertaking. There is no blueprint for this energy transition that would offer a simple step-by-step procedure to follow. In that sense, the Energiewende is an open learning process and pilot project at the same time, one that is being observed internationally with a mixture of hope and skepticism. However, there is one thing that the German energy transition is certainly not: an island of its own that isolates Germany’s energy economy. On the contrary, a quick overview of the world’s state of affairs with regard to energy shows that the global energy transition is now picking up speed, as Ralf Fücks points out.
May the Energy Union begin!
Today, 12 European Council Energy Ministers signed a joint declaration for closer collaboration in the electricity sector. Craig Morris says it may help assuage criticism that Germany is “going it alone” with its Energiewende.
How British biomass makes German coal look worse
At the beginning of April, British climate NGO Sandbag published a press release entitled “For the first time, 4 out of 5 largest EU emitters are German lignite producers.” A shift took place between the fifth and sixth positions because the British Drax coal plant increasingly runs on imported biomass. Craig Morris says paying more attention to producers and less to consumers would help us see the issue in a clearer light.
Climate showdown: Has the US, UK or Germany done more to cut emissions?
The UK and Germany like to think of themselves as climate leaders. But how does their progress in cutting carbon stack up against the US, which has famously failed to pass climate laws? The Carbon Brief’s Simon Evans reports.