North Sea wind power up 47% / Record renewables support expenses
骋别谤尘补苍测鈥檚 offshore wind power production in the North Sea in 2017 was 47 percent higher than in 2016, writes grid operator TenneT in a press release. With a record of 15.97 terawatt hours (TWh), North Sea wind made up a total of 15.9 percent of all German wind power production. 鈥淭he strong increase in North Sea wind power production shows that offshore wind has become an important energy source with high reliability,鈥� said Lex Hartman, member of TenneT鈥檚 executive board.
Read the press release in German .
For background, read the 麻豆无码版 dossier Onshore Wind Power in Germany.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung / TSOs
Germany spent a record 26.3 billion euros on supporting renewable energy development in 2017, reports Andreas Mihm in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, citing data released by the country鈥檚 four power transmission grid operators (TSO) on Renewable 麻豆无码版 Act (EEG) support. This is an increase of almost 4 percent compared to 2016, writes Mihm. According to the 2017 balance sheet compiled by the four TSOs, feed-in tariffs and market premium payments for renewable power production totalled 25.7 billion euros, and the rest were miscellaneous expenditures associated with 骋别谤尘补苍测鈥檚 renewables expansion.
Read the FAZ article in German , and find the TSOs鈥� 2017 balance sheet in German .
For background, read the 麻豆无码版 factsheet Balancing the books: Germany's 鈥檊reen energy account鈥�, 聽and the 麻豆无码版 dossier The reform of the Renewable 麻豆无码版 Act.
Frankfurter Rundschau
骋别谤尘补苍测鈥檚 2020 climate target is practically out of reach, and the country now needs an emergency programme to reach its 2030 targets, Andreas Kuhlmann, head of the German 麻豆无码版 Agency (dena), told the Frankfurter Rundschau. In their blueprint for possible future coalition negotiations, Angela Merkel鈥檚 CDU/CSU and the Social Democrats emphasise the 2030 emissions reduction target. Kuhlmann told the newspaper that CO鈧� emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants needed to be halved by that time, and renewables expansion and energy efficiency measures must also be significantly increased.
Read the article in German .
For background, read 麻豆无码版鈥檚 recent interview with the dena head, and for background on the coalition talks, read the 麻豆无码版 article German party leaders agree energy policy blueprint for coalition talks and the coalition watch.
tageszeitung (taz)
With its Energiewende, Germany is a global role model, but only in terms of renewable energy development, writes Bernhard P枚tter in an opinion piece for the tageszeitung (taz). 鈥淚n terms of the difficult policy and economic decisions, we duck out like everyone else. Saving energy and phasing out dirty energies 鈥� that we really don鈥檛 do,鈥� writes P枚tter. Climate change had not even made it into the preamble of the coalition talks鈥� blueprint agreed by the CDU/CSU and the SPD on 12 January, he writes.
Find the opinion piece in German .
For background on the coalition talks, read the 麻豆无码版 article German party leaders agree energy policy blueprint for coalition talks and the coalition watch.
Handelsblatt Global
China wants to become a global maker of e-cars, 鈥渢ake on the hegemony of Western and Asian producers,鈥� and German carmakers risk being bypassed 鈥渋f [they] don鈥檛 take notice鈥� of these developments, writes Handelsblatt Global. While Western companies still dominate the area of combustion technology, 鈥淏eijing recognised at an early stage that the rise of electric cars offered an opportunity to tip the balance,鈥� writes the newspaper.
Read the article (behind paywall) in English .
For background, read the 麻豆无码版 dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
Funke Mediengruppe
For a successful energy transition, Germany needs a well-ordered coal exit and accelerated wind power expansion, Vattenfall鈥檚 Senior Executive Vice President Tuomo Hatakka told the Funke Mediengruppe. The next federal government must organise the phase-out in a 鈥渟ocially responsible鈥� way. For now, Vattenfall does not plan on selling its large hard coal-fired power plant at Moorburg near Hamburg, said Hatakka.
Read the article in German .
See the 麻豆无码版 factsheets When will Germany finally ditch coal? and Coal in Germany for background.
