Despite the further decrease in coal power generation, Germany probably failed to reduce its carbon emissions last year, largely because of backsliding outside the power sector. Which source of energy makes up the biggest piece of the pie in Germany? Craig Morris has the answers.
All posts tagged: Gas
We are the Energiewende: German villages go 100% renewable
Local communities are at the forefront of the clean energy transition in Germany, with some villages relying 100% on renewable energy. Pavol Szalai spoke to some mayors there and found that German villagers are proud of their work.
Keeping coal plants open: the Spanish government’s costly intervention in the power market
After power producer Iberdrola announced the closure of their last coal plants, the Spanish government has said it might intervene to keep them open. Such an intervention, write energy experts Gerard Wynn and Paolo Coghe, is taking a page out of Donald Trump’s book. It is costly, bad for the investment climate, and for the planet’s climate.
For many in Puerto Rico, ‘energy dominance’ is just a new name for US colonialism
The Trump administration has insisted on ‘energy dominance’ as its main goal, focusing on fossil fuels at the expense of renewable energies like wind and solar. For Puerto Ricans, however, energy dominance sounds more like expansionism. Catalina M. de Onís explains the history of oil and power between the US and Puerto Rico.
NAFTA 2.0 – an avenue for more dirty energy
A renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) could result in a much stronger trade focus on fossil fuels, which would imply an increase in CO2 emissions and undermine previous efforts made by its three trade partners to lower emissions. Emilio Godoy explains.
Lithuania’s energy transition at a crossroads
Lithuania is a net energy importer, and many in the country are worried about security, especially because of their reliance on Russian gas. Nuclear is not an option – the government needs to invest in renewables if they want to improve their energy system, says Monika Kokstaite.
Top global banks still failing badly on climate change
The results are in, courtesy of the Fossil Fuel Finance Report Card, on how the world’s biggest private banks are tooling up (or not) to tackle climate change. While there are clear signs of improvement in many of the banks’ policy coverage, most notably on coal, overall the picture remains bleak and highly concerning. Yann Louvel and Greig Aitken dig into the numbers.
Nord Stream: who depends on whom?
As the Nord Stream II project progresses, many EU countries – and Brussels itself – continue to express concern. So why is the German government so nonchalant about the country’s dependence on natural gas from Russia? Craig Morris has a few suggestions.
The Dutch go district heat
Recently, our American Germany-expert Craig Morris described the Dutch reactions to the upcoming end of domestic gas in the Netherlands. Today, he explains – with help from an Irish researcher based in Denmark – why the Dutch are banking on district heat.
Germany runs out of Dutch gas
It may be the most underreported story in the German energy sector: a quarter of household gas connections are switching from l-gas to h-gas. Craig Morris explains the implications – technically and geopolitically. And a new chart shows the role that natural gas might play in 2050.