CO₂ price would support switch from lignite to gas

Germany could reduce its power generation from lignite by more than 80 percent and cut related high emissions if it stopped electricity exports and largely replaced lignite-based power with electricity from existing modern gas and hard coal plants, Bruno Burger, professor at Fraunhofer ISE, told Gero Rueter for broadcaster Deutsche Welle. This would translate into CO₂ emissions savings of more than 110 million tonnes annually, said Burger. However, gas-fired power generation is still more expensive than coal-fired power generation. This would change if the costs for health and other damages were included, writes Deutsche Welle - for example with the introduction of a price on CO₂ emissions.

Read the article in German here.

For background, read the CLEW factsheet Setting the power price: the merit order effect.