Regardless of debate about the success of Germany’s renewables revolution, there is no denying that a small town in the corner of rural eastern Germany, 40 miles south of Berlin, may be one of the best examples of decentralized self-sufficiency. Feldheim (pop. 150), in the cash-strapped state of Brandenburg, was a communist collective farm back when Germany was still divided into East and West. Now it is a model renewable energy village putting into practice Germany’s vision of a renewably powered future, as RMI’s Laurie Guevara-Stone reports.
All posts tagged: Germany
A bad bank for German hard coal?
Germany’s power plants fired with hard coal might soon run for fewer and fewer hours each year, being increasingly offset by renewables. Now, a labor union has called on power firms to sell these power plants to a “national company” as hard coal is phased out. Craig Morris says the firms like the idea.
Transition Beyond Goals
Innovative policies, including higher contributions from industry, home energy efficiency improvements, and consumer awareness of price differences between suppliers, are called for to help Germans lower energy prices during the switch to renewables, argues Paul Hockenos.
The state of Germany’s solar sector – the worst is over
On February 13, the Böll Foundation, which funds this website, held an all-day conference on Germany’s energy transition. Craig Morris says one industry representative may have been overly pessimistic about Germany’s early commitment to solar.
Energiewende 2.0 – still under development
Last Thursday, the Who’s Who of Germany’s Energiewende met in Berlin to discuss the future of Germany’s transition to renewables. While agreement among participants existed over the Energiewende’s success story to date, opinions differed on the right path to the future. Alexander Franke says that 2014 will be a decisive year for the success of Germany’s ambitious project.
Bad Press for Renewables
The German word Energiewende has yet to be adopted in Russia, where analysts are skeptical about the German energy transition. There the media presents it as an interesting but rather bizarre experiment which only a rich country like Germany can afford, finds Komila Nabiyeva.
What the EU’s 2030 targets mean for the Energiewende
The EU is to have carbon emissions targets, but nothing binding in terms of renewables or efficiency for specific member states. Craig Morris reports on what one energy expert in Brussels thinks the effect might be on the German Energiewende.
False enemies: emission reductions, renewables, and efficiency
The EU’s new targets for 2030 are only for emissions trading. Anything adopted for renewables will not be binding, and we have yet to hear about efficiency at all. Craig Morris says we’re not going to get anywhere until we focus on all three.
Intermittent or variable?
Wind and solar power are often considered unreliable, especially by their detractors. But Craig Morris recently realized he needed to change his terminology – after learning how intermittent conventional power plants are.
German energy targets: “at most” replaces “at least”
On Wednesday, the German government is to discuss the new proposals for energy policy revisions. The focus is on price. Craig Morris back-calculated what needs to be done to hit the government’s official targets, for instance for 2020.