'Mini-consensus' at diesel summit/ Emissions may rise 2017 -think tank
Handelsblatt
The federal government will demand at the diesel summit on Wednesday that German carmakers pay for software updates for Euro-5 and Euro-6 diesel cars, according to the draft for the final summit statement, reports Daniel Delhaes in Handelsblatt. It will also call for carmakers to finance half of a 500 million euro mobility fund to support intelligent transport solutions. The technical and financial feasibility of additional hardware retrofitting would be examined by a new working group and the carmakers. The mobility fund would not be used for retrofitting diesel cars, but instead finance for example better traffic control systems, or the acquisition of electric buses and taxis, writes Delhaes. The final statement draft says that “combustion engines will continue to be necessary for individual mobility and freight transport for the foreseeable future”. Details will be debated in several working groups over the coming weeks and months, writes Delhaes.
Read the article (behind paywall) in German here and read a Bloomberg article on the topic in English here.
For background, read the CLEW article Why the German diesel summit matters for climate and energy, and the timeline of Germany's car emissions fraud scandal.
Clean Energy Wire
Germany’s rising consumption of oil, gas and lignite in the first half of 2017 indicates that the country of the Energiewende will see another increase in emissions in 2017 after a rise in 2016, said Agora Energiewende* head Patrick Graichen. “The data translates to a one-percent increase of energy-related emissions, compared to the same period last year. This corresponds to about 5 million tonnes of CO₂,” Graichen told Clean Energy Wire. New data released by energy market research group AG Energiebilanzen (AGEB) saw energy consumption in Germany increase 0.8 percent in the first half of 2017, due to positive economic development and slightly cooler weather at the beginning of the year. "The hope that 2017 emissions will be below last year's levels fades visibly. Rather, this is ground for concern that – just like in 2016 – we will see emissions rise in 2017," said Graichen.
For background, read the CLEW factsheets Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions and climate targets and Germany’s energy consumption and power mix in charts.
*Like the Clean Energy Wire, Agora Energiewende is a project funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.
Süddeutsche Zeitung
The German government has the “almost unique opportunity” to make German car manufacturers “finally take decisions” to find a solution for the diesel emissions scandal, writes Peter Fahrenholz in an opinion piece in Süddeutsche Zeitung. The auto industry was “battered” by the last two years’ revelations, the government needed to “quickly prove it was ready to act” because of the upcoming federal elections, and the recent court ruling in Stuttgart showed that software updates would not be enough to prevent possible inner city driving bans.
Read the opinion piece in German here.
For background, read the CLEW article Why the German diesel summit matters for climate and energy, the factsheet The debate over an end to combustion engines in Germany and the timeline of Germany's car emissions fraud scandal.
statista
Diesel remains an option for about one out of three drivers in Germany, according to a poll by statistics service statista. Petrol cars were preferred by the largest share of respondents, topping the list with 71 percent, followed by hybrids with 41 percent and diesel with 35 percent. Only 25 percent of the respondents said they could imagine buying an electric car.
Find the article with the Graph in German here.
For background, read the CLEW article Why the German diesel summit matters for climate and energy, the factsheet The debate over an end to combustion engines in Germany and the timeline of Germany's car emissions fraud scandal.
Handelsblatt
Established energy companies like E.ON and RWE could face a severe loss of power because of the digitalisation of Germany’s energy transition, while new contenders profit, write Jürgen Flauger and Franz Hubik in Handelsblatt. In a long article, Flauger and Hubik shed light on how the German energy industry “faces a digital shock” that would break up the traditional market.
Read the article (behind paywall) in German here.
For background, read the CLEW dossier The digitalisation of the Energiewende.
Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA)
News registrations of hybrids and e-cars rose 104 and 132 percent respectively in July 2017, compared to the same month last year, writes the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) in a press release. This amounted to about 3 percent of all new passenger car registrations. Diesel cars made up 41 percent, with a decrease of 13 percent compared to the same month last year, and more than half of all new registrations were petrol cars. Average CO₂ emissions rose by 0.4 percent, compared to July 2016. New SUV registrations rose by 24 percent, writes KBA.
Find the press release in German here.
For background, read the CLEW dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
The Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA)
The Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) has received 26,589 applications for the e-car buyer’s premium since the official launch on 2 July 2016, according to a statement. The government aims to reach the critical mass of 400,000 e-cars, which is 1 percent of the total of cars on German streets.
Find the statement in German here.
Read a CLEW article on the introduction of the premium here.
Clean Energy Wire
The Clean Energy Wire has added a chart showing the development of economic growth, power and energy consumption, and GHG emissions from 1990 – 2016 to its factsheet on Germany’s energy consumption and power mix.
Check out the CLEW factsheet Germany’s energy consumption and power mix in charts.
Pew Research Center
People around the globe identify ISIS and climate change as the leading threats to national security, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. In Germany, 77 percent of respondents identified ISIS a major threat, 66 percent cyber attacks from other countries, and 63 percent global climate change.
Read the press release in English here and the full report in English here.
Ensia
Germany’s energy transition, or Energiewende, has transformed Germany into a global poster child for green energy, writes Emma Bryce in an article for online environmental magazine Ensia. Germany’s handling of the exit from coal-fired power generation could hold useful lessons for other countries, writes Bryce.
Read the article in English here.
For background, read the CLEW factsheet When will Germany finally ditch coal?
Süddeutsche Zeitung
New US sanctions against Russia will have serious consequences for the energy supply in Germany and Europe, writes Kirsten Westphal of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in a guest commentary for Süddeutsche Zeitung. “The uncertainty [in the energy markets] will increase,” writes Westphal. “Russia is Europe’s most important energy supplier. That’s why the law seriously affects Europe’s supply security.”
For background, read the CLEW dossier The Energiewende and its implications for international security.
Construction of the direct current connection NordLink for the exchange of renewable energy between Germany and Norway has started, writes transmission grid operator (TSO) TenneT in a press release. “For the first time, the interconnector will directly connect the energy markets of Germany and Norway for the exchange of Norwegian hydropower and German wind energy,” writes TenneT.
Find the press release in English here.
For background, read the CLEW dossier The energy transition and Germany’s power grid.
verivox
Price comparison website verivox has looked at Germany’s parties’ election programmes and examined the different proposals on how electricity is to be kept affordable in the future, the company said in a press release. It is striking that “especially the two government parties CDU and SPD are holding back on drafting concrete measures,” writes verivox. The Free Democrats, as well as the Left Party on the other hand called for lowering the electricity tax for example, verivox writes.
Read the press release in German here.
Find election background in the CLEW dossier Vote2017 - German elections and the Energiewende.
