“Norwegian eco-certificates cleanse lignite power”

German power customers demand more green power than domestic wind, solar and biogas installations can provide, prompting energy providers to buy Norwegian certificates that allow them to label their product as “green”, Jens Heitmann writes for Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung. Norway generates 98 percent of its electricity from green sources, mainly hydropower, and sells certificates it receives for this to German providers who operate coal, gas or nuclear plants, Heitmann says. Germany’s Federal Environment Agency (UBA) says the Norwegian certificates do little to advance the energy transition as they only count existing renewable capacity rather than increasing green power production.

Read the article in German here.

See the CLEW factsheet Understanding the European Union’s emissions trading system for more information.