EU coal exit needed by 2030 - report / E-car hurdles for tenants
Climate Analytics
In its report “A stress test for coal in Europe under the Paris Agreement," the Berlin-based climate research institute Climate Analytics says the EU will have to end CO₂ emissions from all coal plants by 2030 in order to meet its commitments under the Paris climate accord. The report looks at 300 coal power plants across the European Union and lays out the timing for their gradual phase-out. “The EU will exceed its Paris Agreement-compatible coal emissions budget by 85 percent if its existing coal-fired power plants continue operating to their full lifespan,” the report states. It goes on to say that Germany and Poland have the most work to do, as they are jointly responsible for 51 percent of installed capacity and 54 percent of emissions from coal.
Read the report in English here.
Read an article about the report on climatechangenews.com.
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Tenants and flat owners in apartment buildings in Germany face high legal hurdles if they want to retrofit on-property parking areas with an e-car charging station, Berrit Gräber writes in the Süddeutsche Zeitung. “Even those who agree to pay for the upgrade themselves soon face restrictions,” she says. A German court recently ruled that e-car charging stations are not part of a flat’s minimum standard, Gräber writes. The state pays e-car buyers a premium and has announced it will vastly expand the countrywide charging station network, but “only at home, in your own garage, nothing can be done,” Gräber writes.
Read the article in German here.
For background, see the CLEW dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
Fraunhofer ISI
Power demand across Germany is likely to grow after 2030 as increased sector coupling facilitates the shift from other energy sources, research institute Fraunhofer ISI has found in an analysis commissioned by transmission grid operators. In all scenarios described by Fraunhofer researchers, national power demand until that year either develops steadily or decreases due to efficiency gains by improved technology, the institute said in a press release. It added that demand in urban regions was set to grow while at the same time decreasing in rural areas. By 2050, however, that trend would be reversed, Fraunhofer ISI explained: “The reasons are more sector coupling options as well as the increased use of e-cars and heat pumps.”
Read the press release in German here.
For background, see the CLEW factsheet Germany’s energy consumption and power mix in charts.
German utility E.ON’s fossil energy unit Uniper has launched an online platform showing gas storage facility fill levels. "With this new tool, on the one hand we are taking another step towards digitisation and on the other hand, closing the gap between our customers, partners, and Uniper's storage operations,” says Dr. Axel Wietfeld, CEO of Uniper Energy Storage in a press release. The so-called “Dashboard” shows all the sites in Germany, Austria and the UK, as well as inflow and outflow data for the previous month.
Find the press release in English here and the Dashboard online in English here.
Zeit Online
A lack of an overarching transportation concept and an emphasis on unneeded projects causes many local authorities in Germany to waste money on public transport systems, transportation consultant Stefan Weigele said in an interview with Zeit Online. Many cities funded overlapping transport services rather than pooling resources, Weigele explained. He called for “an integrated and coordinated concept for ticket prices of urban mobility that reaches from public transport over parking fees to taxis and car sharing.”
Read the interview in German here.
For more information, see the CLEW dossier The energy transition and Germany’s transport sector.
Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten
The German state of Brandenburg is planning to invest 50 million euros in developing electricity and heat storage technology, but the European Commission must first decide if the programme abides by EU competition rules, writes Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten, citing the state economics minister Albrecht Gerber. Public support for private-sector development projects cannot exceed 200,000 euros, but this is not enough to develop the technology, the newspaper writes. Storing wind and solar electricity and heat is necessary in a renewables-based energy system for times when wind and sun are in short supply. Brandenburg wants to be a leader in the technology, the economics minister said.
Read the article in German here.
For more information, read the CLEW factsheet How can Germany keep the lights on in a renewable energy future?
Zukunft-erdgas.info
The German natural gas industry group Zukunft-Erdgas has produced a study “Heating market 2050”, which examines the role of regenerative gases in meeting CO2 reduction targets. “The CO₂ intensive heating oil will not play any role in the heating market of the future,” the group writes in a press release. The study says that raising the share of gas used in heating to 35 percent by 2050 could reduce CO2 emissions in the building sector by 80 percent.
Find the press release in German here and the study in German here.
