In the media: (update) E.ON sells Italy coal, gas ops; law to boost carsharing; young people support energy transition

E.ON Press Release

E.ON sells Italian coal and gas operations 

E.ON said Monday it would sell its coal and gas-fueled electricity operations to the Czech energy company Energetický a Průmyslový Holding (EPH), pending approval by EU competition authorities. The assets have a generation capacity of 4500 megawatts and consist of a 600-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Sardinia and a ca. 3900-megawatts of gas-fired power from six plants on the Italian peninsula and in Sicily, E.ON said in a press release. The move comes after E.ON laid out plans in December to split its fossil fuel-based electricity generation into a separate company from its renewables operations.

Read the press release in English here.

Read the CLEW factsheet on utilities here.

Handelsblatt

German government wants to promote carsharing with new law

A new law is in the works to help boost the number of parking spaces designated for carsharing across Germany, a spokeswoman for the transport ministry told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The aim is to reduce traffic in cities by promoting the growth of the carsharing business, the market for which is growing rapidly, according to the paper. The new law would offer privileged parking spaces through an auction system open to carsharing companies, as well as offering relief to communities that offer the spaces for free, the article says.

Read the article in German here.

Finanznachrichten.de / OTS

“Greenpeace study: Young generation supports Energiewende”

For people aged 15-24, climate change is the most important environmental issue, according to preliminary results of the “sustainability barometer” by the Leuphana University Lüneburg, sponsored by Greenpeace. The researchers spoke to 1511 people in summer 2014, finding that 92 percent of the young generation supports the German energy transition to a low-carbon economy as the country's most important contribution to climate protection. The support was independent of gender, education and origin, Kerstin Küster, Greenpeace expert on education said.

See the Greenpeace press release via OTS in German here.

Read the first results of the study in German here.

Handelsblatt

"Decentral is the new magic word"

Siemens, General Electric (GE), RWE – big names in the energy sector - have started focusing on small gas engines for power stations, Axel Höpner in the Handelsblatt writes. These flexible gas plants are ideal for a decentralised power system, as they can be switched on and off quickly and thus complement fluctuating power from wind and solar installations. According to industry studies, by 2030 more than half of the newly installed electricity generation capacity will be decentral solutions, the article says. GE also wants to invest in diesel engines, Karl Wetzlmayer, head of GE-gas engines operations in Jenbach, Austria, told the paper.

Klimaretter.info

“Missed chances, first predictions and new hope”

Asked for her prediction for developments in the Energiewende in 2015, Claudia Kemfert, Professor for energy economy at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), said the number of coal power operations will remain the same because they can still earn money and there will hopefully be improvements in insulating buildings.

See the interview in German here.