Study says rapid coal exit would enable Germany to meet 2020 and 2030 climate targets
A quick end of coal-fired power production in Germany and a parallel expansion of wind and solar power capacities would reduce carbon emissions sufficiently to meet the 2020 and 2030 climate target in line with the Paris Agreement, a study by research institute Fraunhofer, commissioned by environmental organisation Greenpeace, says. “Only a coal exit will make Germany’s Energiewende a success for climate protection,” Greenpeace’s Anike Peters says. In the Fraunhofer scenario, the most polluting lignite plants with a capacity of 6.1 gigawatts (GW) would be shut down by 2020, while the remaining 7.4 GW older than 20 years would be throttled down before all lignite plants reduce their output by 2025. At the same time, solar and wind power capacities would be expanded across Europe and the price for CO2 emissions would climb to 40 euros per tonne. “Germany can have a secure power supply without coal by 2030,” says Fraunhofer researcher Norman Gerhardt. The study also says that the Hambach Forest would not have to be cleared to make way for coal mining if there were a rapid coal exit.
Find a press release and the study in German here.
See CLEW's Commission watch for regular updates on the preparation of Germany's coal phase-out.