Back in March it was first reported by the major German TV network ARD (Tagesschau.de) that German utility E.ON was contemplating mothballing one of the most efficient power plants in Europe, a gas-fired high-efficiency combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant called ‘Irsching 4 and 5’ in the southern state of Bavaria – which only went… Keep reading →
German-Turkish-Russian ‘Energy Security Triangle’: Building Long-term Resilience while Defusing Geopolitical Tensions The recent Munich Security Conference in the Bavarian capital brought together – as it does every year – important decision-makers in international politics, including heads of state and government along with foreign and defense ministers to discuss “hot” foreign and security policy issues. This year’s… Keep reading →
Analysts and economists are trying to figure out how falling oil prices impact various economic sectors. Many 401ks and pension funds invest in oil companies, but as long as funds are diversified they should not be hit too badly by the oil price decline. “But this is precisely why investment advisers tell us to diversify,… Keep reading →
Back in October 2014, EU leaders agreed on the 2030 framework for climate and energy policies – aimed at making both the EU economy and its energy system more sustainable, secure and competitive – with a ‘domestic’ 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of at least 40 per cent compared to 1990 levels. Here, the… Keep reading →
Conceptualizing a policy as broad and ambitious asEnergiewende – Germany’s goal to transition nearly 100 percent of its electricity supply to renewable energy by 2050 – is one thing. Implementing it is another thing entirely. For this, ‘good governance’ is required – or as the Hertie School defines it: “an effective, efficient, and reliable set… Keep reading →
Germany has put itself on the world map in the past decade as an early adopter of energy generation from renewable sources. In 2013, 25% of the country’s energy came from renewable sources – the highest percentage in the world. By 2050, as part of the country’s Energiewende (or “energy transition”), Germany expects this number… Keep reading →
Since 2004, the year of the first major revision of Germany’s Renewable Energy Act (EEG), the country has added at least 35 gigawatts (GW) of solar and 35 GW of wind to its electric grid – enough to offset upwards of 35 coal plants. What’s more impressive is during the first half of 2014, close to 29 percent of Germany’s… Keep reading →
