The world counts carbon emissions by country where fuels are combusted, i.e. where the CO2 is emitted. A new study shows how great the differences are when we count products consumed. Craig Morris takes a closer look at how Germany, the UK, Russia, China and France fared in the study.
All posts tagged: Germany
Germany’s excess generation capacity
Over the past decade, German power firms made considerable investments in new conventional capacity. At the same time, German SMEs, energy cooperatives, and ordinary citizens made considerable investments in renewable generation capacity. The result is excess capacity. Craig Morris takes a look at some of the country’s energy experts who did not see this outcome coming.
Convincing German coal mining communities to go green
Reports on German coal mining sometimes depict the destruction of villages as something new – and almost always as an ironic new outcome of the Energiewende. In reality, it’s a continuation of a century’s business as usual. And German citizens are not the defenseless anti-coal victims they are portrayed to be. In reality, it’s not easy to convince local communities affected by mining that renewables are a better option. Craig Morris investigates.
Bundestag adopts new rules for renewables
The lower house of the German Parliament voted nearly 80% in favor of the proposed amendments to Germany’s Renewable Energy Act (EEG) on the last Friday in June. Craig Morris takes a look at the main changes and examines why some people are upset, and others aren’t.
Re-Municipalization in Boulder and Hamburg: Similarities and Differences
Both Boulder and Hamburg are remunicipalizing their grid. What do the two cases have in common? How far did the specific national context help or impede the efforts to buy back the grid? In the final part of our series, Charleen Fei and Ian Rinehart compare the two cities and the conditions for their success.
The Re-Municipalization of the Hamburg Grid
In a successful referendum, Hamburg’s voters forced the city to buy back the grid last year. Charleen Fei and Ian Rinehart summarize how a broad and inclusive campaign driven by the civil society made this historic event possible.
Getting energy policy design right
Bidding processes are used in various economic sectors, and with good reason. But do those reasons apply to the energy sector – and, in particular, to Germany’s energy transition goals? Craig Morris presents the findings in a recent study by IZES.
Policy watershed approaching
By 2017, Germany aims to do away with feed-in tariffs and switch to reverse auctions. A new study by the German Institute for Future Energy Systems (IZES) compares the two policies in a study (PDF in German) published in May. Craig Morris starts an overview of the discussion with the presentation of the background today.
The German Coal Conundrum
Is Germany building new coal plants to replace nuclear despite the country’s green ambitions? Many observers conclude so. But an in-depth look reveals that the growth of renewables has more than replaced nuclear power over the past decade. Coal is not making a comeback in Germany. However, German policymakers should reduce the country’s coal dependency sooner than scheduled.
Germany struts its Renewable Stuff
The Energiewende is Germany’s poster child. No wonder, a guidebook which details nearly 200 renewable energy sites throughout Germany is selling well. Komila Nabiyeva reports from Berlin.