Businesses ready for faster German coal exit – opinion

The end of coal-fired power production in Germany can be achieved much more quickly than proposed by the country’s coal exit commission if the government sets the right framework for businesses, Nigel Topping says in an op-ed for Climate Home News. “Given ongoing cost reductions in renewables and growing demand from businesses to be powered by clean energy, the market will likely deliver the end of coal in Germany earlier than is currently thought possible.”

The coal exit commission submitted its final report on a possible way to end coal at the end of February. According to the commission, the phase-out should be initiated rapidly and come to an end no later than 2038 or even 2035 if the effects on supply security and power prices are kept in check.