Renewables tenders go international/ Deutsche Post & Ford build e-van
Federal Ministry for the Economy and Energy
The German cabinet has paved the way for projects located in other EU countries to take part in national renewable energy auctions, the Federal Ministry for the Economy and Energy (BMWi) has said in a press release. Five percent of annual bidding capacity, equalling about 300 megawatt, will be allotted to foreign projects, based on a state-aid related agreement between Germany and the European Commission on Germany’s Renewable Energy Act (EEG). Foreign bidders so far could only take part in pilot solar power auctions, in which an installation in Denmark succeeded last year. The amended regulation now also allows for participation in onshore wind power auctions. State secretary Rainer Baake said the move will “help diversify renewables expansion and allow to balance intermittent renewable energy generation by expanding the area”. The agreement is based on the principle of reciprocity and the ability of physical electricity exchange between the countries.
See the press release in German here.
For further information, see the CLEW factsheets High hopes and concerns over onshore wind power auctions and From survey to harvest: How to build a wind farm in Germany.
German postal service Deutsche Post DHL and carmaker Ford are entering a partnership to manufacture electric delivery vans, Deutsche Post said in a press release. The new van – with the chassis of the Ford Transit providing the technical basis – will be larger than Post’s existing StreetScooter. The companies plan to have at least 2,500 of the vehicles on the road by the end of 2018. "I consider this partnership another important boost for electro-mobility in Germany", said Jürgen Gerdes, member of the executive board of Deutsche Post AG. "This step […] will relieve the inner cities and increase the people's quality of life. We will continue working on completely CO2-neutral logistics!"
Read the press release in English here and a Reuters article on the topic in English here.
For background, read the CLEW dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
Toronto Star
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau disputed a report by German weekly Der Spiegel which claimed he proposed to strike the references to the Paris Agreement from the upcoming G20 communiqué in a telephone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “No, I did not say that,” Trudeau told the Canadian House of Commons.
Read the article in English here.
For background, read the CLEW articles German reactions to US decision to withdraw from Paris Agreement and Germany, China urge US to remain in climate agreement.
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi)
Germany and Denmark have agreed to increase the minimum cross-border electricity trade, according to a press release by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). “The agreement acknowledges that Germany is undergoing a fundamental energy transition and is making enormous efforts for expanding its internal grids - not only to implement the German Energy transition, but also to foster electricity trade for Europe. This agreement recognises that this fundamental grid expansion needs time,” said Rainer Baake, state secretary in the BMWi.
Find the press release in English here.
For background read the CLEW factsheet Re-dispatch costs in the German power grid and the CLEW article Loop flows: Why is wind power from northern Germany putting east European grids under pressure?
Senvion
Hamburg-based wind turbine manufacturer Senvion and German utility EnBW concluded a cooperation agreement for onshore projects totalling several hundred megawatts (MW) throughout Germany, Senvion announced in a press release.
Find the press release in English here.
For background, read the CLEW factsheets From survey to harvest: How to build a wind farm in Germany and German onshore wind power – output, business and perspectives.
Handelsblatt
The CDU’s forging of new state government coalitions in Schleswig-Holstein (CDU, Green Party, FDP) and North Rhine-Westphalia (CDU, FDP) opens up options for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives in the September federal elections, writes Daniel Delhaes in Handelsblatt. “If the alliance in the north [“Jamaica-Coalition”] proves itself in the first couple of months, it could be an option after the federal elections on 24 September. For many in the CDU, black-yellow [CDU-FDP] in Düsseldorf is an option anyway,” writes Delhaes.
A participation by the Greens in the next federal government could make a big difference for the country's future energy policy.
Read the article in German here.
For background read the CLEW dossier Vote2017 - German elections and the Energiewende.
IESE Business School
Germany’s capital Berlin is the country’s only city to make it into the top ten of a ranking by the IESE Business School of global smart cities, the IESE has said in a press release. Berlin ranked 9th in IESE’s Cities in Motion Index (CIMI) and scored particularly well on the urban planning and transportation indicators. The list was topped by New York, followed by London and Paris.
See the press release in English here and the CIMI in English here.
For background, see the CLEW dossier Cities, municipalities and the Energiewende.
