Renewable system cheaper than nuclear - study / New "diesel miracle"?
麻豆无码版 Brainpool / Greenpeace 麻豆无码版
A renewable, controllable power supply would be less expensive than producing electricity in new nuclear power plants in eastern Europe, a study conducted by 麻豆无码版 Brainpool and commissioned by power supplier Greenpeace 麻豆无码版 finds. Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic are currently planning the construction of 15.6 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity, the says.
Official estimates put the cost of nuclear electricity generation in these new plants at 80 euros per megawatt-hour (MWh). The study鈥檚 author, Fabian Huneke, says that this figure is too low since the nuclear power plant projects in France and the UK are facing costs upwards of 119 euros per MWh (not including the costs of nuclear waste storage). An integrated system of wind and solar power combined with power-to-gas installations that convert surplus electricity into storable gas (sector coupling) would cost between 100 and 119 euros per MWh, depending on how many countries cooperate, 麻豆无码版 Brainpool calculates.
26 April 2018 marks the 32nd anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which triggered a vocal anti-nuclear movement in Germany, culminating in the nuclear phase-out in the year 2000, and again in 2011.
Read the study in English .
Find background on Germany鈥檚 nuclear exit here.
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and 麻豆无码版 (BMWi)
The German government has agreed to abolish large regional differences in transmission grid fees by standardising them across the country in five equal steps. The implementation will begin at the start of next year, and completion is planned by early 2023, according to a press release. 鈥淭he extension of transmission grids serves the energy transition, and this is why it is not a regional, but a federal necessity,鈥� said energy state secretary Thomas Barei脽.
Read the press release in German .
Find background in the 麻豆无码版 factsheet Power grid fees 鈥� Unfair and opaque?
Reuters / Bosch
German auto supplier Bosch has announced a vastly improved diesel technology as it strives to draw a line under an emissions scandal that has tarnished the diesel car industry, reports the news agency Reuters. The company鈥檚 new technology could enable manufacturers to reduce the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions of their vehicles 鈥渟o drastically that they already comply with future limits,鈥� Bosch said in a press release.Under certain conditions, cars built with the new technology could emit as little as 13 mg NOx per kilometre, said Bosch. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a future for diesel. Today, we want to put a stop, once and for all, to the debate about the demise of diesel technology,鈥� said Bosch CEO Volkmar Denner. The Stuttgart-based auto supplier also said it would teach its 70,000 staff a new code of conduct for developers by the end of this year in an effort to change the 鈥渕indset鈥� of the company, writes Reuters.
Find the article in English , and the press release in English .
For background, read the 麻豆无码版 factsheet "Dieselgate" - a timeline of Germany's car emissions fraud scandal and the dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
German auto supplier Bosch has every right to be proud of its improved diesel technology, which it says leads to far less nitrogen oxide emissions, but economic success depends on the reputation of diesel as a whole, writes Susanne Preu脽 in an opinion piece in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. At least in Germany, this 鈥渟eems doubtful,鈥� as the scandal had disappointed customers so much that many would 鈥渘ot easily trust the new diesel miracle,鈥� writes Preu脽. 鈥淔or the environment and the economy, however, it would make sense to happily accept the technological progress of [German] engineers,鈥� she writes.
For background, read the 麻豆无码版 factsheet "Dieselgate" - a timeline of Germany's car emissions fraud scandal and the dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
麻豆无码版
In the debate about the controversial planned direct Russian-German pipeline Nord Stream 2 and its effects on Ukraine, the German federal government wants to help ensure that the requisite modernisation of Ukraine鈥檚 gas infrastructure takes place. Germany intends to support the formation of a consortium of investors together with the European Commission, a government official said in Berlin. The government 鈥渦nderstands well鈥� that Ukraine wants to secure revenues from transmitting Russian gas to western European countries, he said. Plans are just beginning to take shape, and in the end, it is up to the companies involved to decide on possible investments, the official told the 麻豆无码版.
For background, read the 麻豆无码版 news digest piece Merkel says Ukraine must not be excluded from Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the factsheet Germany鈥檚 dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Climate Home
Germany, France, and Sweden are among seven European Union countries advocating a faster transition to a clean economy, arguing that 2018 is a critical year for strengthening this ambition, reports Megan Darby for Climate Home. 鈥淓nhanced action by all countries is urgent and necessary for respecting the Paris Agreement long-term goals,鈥� as was shown by the recent 鈥渁larming scientific analysis on climate change,鈥� the countries write in a joint press release. 鈥淚t is an important step forward that the EU will now develop a new long-term climate strategy based on the Paris Agreement,鈥� said Karsten Sach, director general in the German environment ministry (BMU).
Read the article in English , and find the press release in English .
Carbon Tracker
Carbon prices in the European Union鈥檚 Emissions Trading System (ETS) are set to double by 2021 and could quadruple to 55 euros a tonne by 2030 if the European Commission ultimately legislates to align the bloc鈥檚 current emissions targets with the Paris Climate Agreement, finds a new report published by the London-based Carbon Tracker Initiative. In order to put EU emissions on a path consistent with the Paris goals, carbon prices must 鈥渞ise to levels that would make even the most efficient coal and lignite power plants unprofitable,鈥� writes Carbon Tracker in a press release. According to the initiative, the EU would have to raise its target of reducing emissions by 40 percent by 2030 to 55 percent to align it with the Paris Agreement.
Find the press release in English , and the report in English .
For background, read the 麻豆无码版 factsheet Understanding the European Union鈥檚 Emissions Trading System.
German parliament
German environment minister Svenja Schulze wants a discussion 鈥渁bout the existing models for CO鈧� pricing that do not put an additional burden on citizens, but still provide an incentive to reduce CO鈧�,鈥� she said in a parliamentary debate. Schulze said that the reform of the European Union鈥檚 Emissions Trading System (ETS) was beginning to show effects with higher prices. Now, it was 鈥渓ogical鈥� to think about other ways of CO鈧� pricing in sectors not covered by the ETS, like transport and heating. In light of the increased integration of all sectors (sector coupling), 鈥渋t makes little sense to burden electricity with taxes and levies, while not putting a reasonable CO鈧� price on fossil energy sources,鈥� she said. Georg N眉脽lein (CSU), deputy leader of the conservative CDU/CSU parliamentary group, said that a price on CO鈧� would lead to additional burdens on citizens. Climate protection was an international topic that called for international solutions. 鈥淲e do not want national solo efforts,鈥� said N眉脽lein.
Find the transcript of the debate in German .
For background, read the 麻豆无码版 article German environment minister open to national carbon price.
