Trump鈥檚 impact on renewables / Drop in offshore wind costs
Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC)
Incoming US president Donald Trump could have many indirect effects on international climate policy, according to Ottmar Edenhofer, Director of the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC). 鈥淭rump could try to drive the export of coal,鈥� said Edenhofer, who is also the chief economist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). 鈥淭he economic policy of the new president could also lead to rising interest rates, which would compromise the competitiveness of renewable energies. This is because the profitability of climate-friendly technologies, in contrast to coal-fired power plants, is determined primarily by their investment costs, which are dependent on the interest rate.鈥�
Read the press release in English .
Frankfurter Rundschau / Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH)
The EU must take over America鈥檚 role and keep China and India on board with global climate protection efforts to get ahead during Donald Trump鈥檚 presidency, according to environmental organisation Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH). The EU is a global leader in renewables and efficiency, and should offer technological partnerships to China and India, DUH co-head Sascha M眉ller-Kraenner told Frankfurter Rundschau in an interview.
German Wind 麻豆无码版 Association (BWE)
骋别谤尘补苍测鈥檚 offshore wind energy industry expects a further drop in costs for new projects contracted by bidding processes, representatives of the industry said at a press conference of the German Wind 麻豆无码版 Association (BWE). 鈥淢ore practical experience and high expansion rates鈥� caused prices to fall in recent years and are likely to continue to do so, Martin Skiba, from the German Wind 麻豆无码版 Foundation, said. While employment in the industry was projected to remain stable in the short term, reduced expansion rates determined by the government in the medium-run posed a danger to the stability of the country鈥檚 offshore wind-farming, the BWE warned. It also urged lawmakers to push ahead with lagging grid expansion, for which Skiba said there was 鈥渘o alternative鈥� in order to connect offshore projects to the mainland. Germany added 156 offshore windmills with a capacity of 818 megawatt (MW) to its power supply last year, bringing the total number of offshore windmills to 947 and generating capacity to 4,108 MW. Total power supply by offshore windmills amounted to 13 terawatt hours in 2016, a year-on-year increase of 57 percent.
Read the press release in German .
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The debate about an end to Germany's core renewable energy support within the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) continues, according to Andreas Mihm in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The party's federal expert committee on finances, economy and energy currently debates a discussion paper draft that states: 鈥淲e will work out a concept on how to exit Renewable 麻豆无码版 Act (EEG) support for new facilities by the end of the coming legislative period, in order to reach the EEG cost peak by then.鈥� The draft proposes to focus on 鈥渕arket price signals鈥� instead of taxes and fees. It says that Energiewende targets could be 鈥渁dapted if necessary鈥�, depending on the consequences for 骋别谤尘补苍测鈥檚 鈥渆conomic and social development鈥�, writes Mihm.
Spiegel had reported on an earlier version of the draft in November 2016, which in the end was not tabled at the CDU鈥檚 federal conference. 鈥淧roposals decided in the party鈥檚 federal expert committees do not automatically reflect the party line, but stand a good chance of being put into the election programme,鈥� Beate Preuschoff, CDU spokesperson told 麻豆无码版. The CDU's expert committees will finalise their recommendations by the end of February.
For background read the 麻豆无码版 article Merkel shuns energy, climate at party conference focused on security, migration.
German Association of 麻豆无码版 and Water Industries (BDEW)
The government must push ahead with the roll-out of a reliable charging infrastructure for e-cars and increase support for e-mobility research and development, according to German utility association BDEW. In a 鈥渞oadmap to eco-mobility鈥�, the utilities said alternative and innovative propulsion technologies, especially gas and electricity, could contribute significantly to protecting the climate. 鈥淭his is why we need effective incentives for a transport transition open to all technologies,鈥� said association head Stefan Kapferer.
Read the press release in German .
autoblog.com / Bloomberg
Daimler, BMW, and Toyota are leading a group of 13 companies pledging to invest more than 10 billion dollars in the next five years to push hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles with infrastructure-building and technology advancements, writes Danny King on autoblog.com. Automakers Honda and Hyundai, as well as companies such as Shell, AirLiquide, Linde Group, and Total SA, are also part of the 鈥淗ydrogen Council鈥�.
On Bloomberg.com, John Lippert writes that the gamble demonstrates that batteries are not the only way to reduce pollution from cars, homes and utilities that are contributing to climate change.
Read the autoblog article in English .
Read the Bloomberg report in English .
Find more background on the carmakers' plans in the 麻豆无码版 factsheets Early e-car starter BMW plans new mobility sprint and Reluctant Daimler plans 鈥渞adical鈥� push into new mobility world.
WirtschaftsWoche
The party vote for the Greens鈥� two frontrunners in the upcoming German federal elections has shown that the party鈥檚 rank and file opt for a pragmatic approach instead of defending green vanguard positions, Cordula Tutt writes in WirtschaftsWoche. By choosing the moderate Cem 脰zdemir as the party鈥檚 male complement to Katrin G枚ring-Eckardt, who had no competitors, the Greens have opened the door for a variety of coalitions, Tutt writes. But neither 脰zdemir nor G枚ring-Eckardt have any outstanding credentials regarding the green core topics of the Energiewende and nuclear exit, she explains. Tutt says it might therefore be helpful for the party to assign a central position to Robert Habeck, currently minister for the environment and energy transition in Schleswig-Holstein, who lost the vote to become the party鈥檚 frontrunner by only a very small margin.
Read the article in German .
For background, see the 麻豆无码版 article German Greens to make coal exit, fossil car ban an election focus and the 麻豆无码版 dossier Vote2017 鈥� German elections and the Energiewende.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Hesse鈥檚 Green economy minister Tarek al-Wazir wants 骋别谤尘补苍测鈥檚 financial capital Frankfurt to become a 鈥淕reen Finance Hub鈥� for 鈥渁ll of Europe鈥�, Falk Heunemann writes in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ). The state鈥檚 green-conservative coalition agreement already called 鈥済reen finance鈥� - a business with allegedly three trillion US Dollars of annual investments into sustainable projects - a 鈥�historic opportunity鈥� for Frankfurt, Heunemann writes. But financial investors doubt whether it is still the state鈥檚 task to fund green investments. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 been our core business for some time now,鈥� Heunemann quotes a representative of insurer Allianz.
Greenpeace Germany
The state government of Brandenburg was involved in sales talks concerning Vattenfall鈥檚 former German lignite operations much sooner and more intensively than previously thought, according to Greenpeace Germany. And it failed to use its legal options to demand financial securities for the recultivation of affected areas. About 100 days after the sale of Vattenfall鈥檚 German lignite operations to Czech company EPH, Greenpeace has updated its 鈥淏lack Book EPH鈥� with details about the companies involved and information on the process surrounding the sale.
Find the press release in German and the 鈥淏lack Book鈥� in German .
