Energiewende in Germany

Version	Summary	Created by	Modification	Content Size	Created at	Operation
1	handwiki	Sirius Huang	--	3843	2022-09-27 02:48:10	\|
2	layout	Sirius Huang	-2 word(s)	3841	2022-10-09 11:11:52	\|

The content is sourced from: https://handwiki.org/wiki/Earth:Energiewende_in_Germany

The Energiewende (German for energy transition) is the planned transition by Germany to a low carbon, environmentally sound, reliable, and affordable energy supply. The term Energiewende is regularly used in English language publications without being translated (a loanword).:4 The new system will rely heavily on renewable energy (particularly wind, photovoltaics, and hydroelectricity), energy efficiency, and energy demand management. Most if not all existing coal-fired generation will need to be retired. The phase-out of Germany's fleet of nuclear reactors, to be complete by 2022, is a key part of the program. Legislative support for the Energiewende was passed in late 2010 and includes greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions of 80–95% by 2050 (relative to 1990) and a renewable energy target of 60% by 2050. These targets are ambitious. The Berlin-based policy institute Agora Energiewende noted that "while the German approach is not unique worldwide, the speed and scope of the Energiewende are exceptional". The Energiewende also seeks a greater transparency in relation to national energy policy formation. Germany has made significant progress on its GHG emissions reduction target, achieving a 27% decrease between 1990 and 2014. However the country will need to maintain an average GHG emissions abatement rate of 3.5% per year to reach its Energiewende goal, equal to the maximum historical value thus far. As of 2013, Germany spends €1.5 billion per year on energy research in an effort to solve the technical and social issues raised by the transition. This includes a number of computer studies that have confirmed the feasibility and a similar cost (relative to business-as-usual and given that carbon is adequately priced) of the Energiewende.

social issues renewable energy target energy policy

1. The Term Energiewende

The main renewable energy sources in Germany: biomass, wind energy, and photovoltaics. By Florian Gerlach (Nawaro) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7369966

The term Energiewende was first contained in the title of a 1980 publication by the German Öko-Institut, calling for the complete abandonment of nuclear and petroleum energy.^[1]^[2]^:223 The most groundbreaking claim was that economic growth was possible without increased energy consumption.^[3] On 16 February 1980, the German Federal Ministry of the Environment also hosted a symposium in Berlin, called Energiewende – Atomausstieg und Klimaschutz (Energy Transition: Nuclear Phase-Out and Climate Protection). The Institute for Applied Ecology was funded by both environmental and religious organizations, and the importance of religious and conservative figures like Wolf von Fabeck and Peter Ahmels was crucial. In the following decades, the term Energiewende expanded in scope – in its present form it dates back to at least 2002.

Energiewende designates a significant change in energy policy. The term encompasses a reorientation of policy from demand to supply and a shift from centralized to distributed generation (for example, producing heat and power in small cogeneration units), which should replace overproduction and avoidable energy consumption with energy-saving measures and increased efficiency.

In a broader sense, this transition also entails a democratization of energy.^[4] In the traditional energy industry, a few large companies with large centralized power stations dominate the market as an oligopoly and consequently amass a worrisome level of both economic and political power. Renewable energies, in contrast, can, as a rule, be established in a decentralized manner. Public wind farms and solar parks can involve many citizens directly in energy production.^[5] Photovoltaic systems can even be set up by individuals. Municipal utilities can also benefit citizens financially, while the conventional energy industry profits a relatively small number of shareholders. Also significant, the decentralized structure of renewable energies enables creation of value locally and minimizes capital outflows from a region. Renewable energy sources therefore play an increasingly important role in municipal energy policy, and local governments often promote them.

2. Status

The key policy document outlining the Energiewende was published by the German government in September 2010, some six months before the Fukushima nuclear accident.^[6] Legislative support was passed in September 2010. On 6 June 2011, following Fukushima, the government removed the use of nuclear power as a bridging technology as part of their policy.^[7] After the 2013 federal elections, the new CDU/CSU and SPD coalition government continued the Energiewende, with only minor modification of its goals in the coalition agreement. An intermediate target was introduced of a 55–60% share of renewable energy in gross electricity consumption in 2035.^[8] Germany imports more than half of its energy.^[9] Important aspects include ((As of November 2016)):

*Energiewende* policy targets (with actual figures for 2014)^[10]^:4
Target	2014	2020	2030	2040	2050
Greenhouse gas emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions (base year 1990)	−27.0%	−40%	−55%	−70%	−80 to −95%
Renewable energy
Share of gross final energy consumption	13.5%	18%	30%	45%	60%
Share of gross electricity consumption	27.4%	35%	50%	65%	80%
Share of heat consumption	12.0%	14%
Share in transport sector	5.6%
Efficiency and consumption
Primary energy consumption (base year 2008)	−8.7%	−20%			−50%
Final energy productivity (2008–2050)	1.6%/year (2008–2014)	2.1%/year (2008–2050)
Gross electricity consumption (base year 2008)	−4.6%	−10%			−25%
Primary energy consumption in buildings (base year 2008)	−14.8%				−80%
Heat consumption in buildings (base year 2008)	−12.4%	−20%
Final energy consumption in transport (base year 2005)	1.7%	−10%			−40%

In addition, there will be an associated research and development drive. A chart showing German energy legislation in 2016 is available.^[11]

These targets go well beyond European Union legislation and the national policies of other European states. The policy objectives have been embraced by the German federal government and has resulted in a huge expansion of renewables, particularly wind power. Germany's share of renewables has increased from around 5% in 1999 to 22.9% in 2012, surpassing the OECD average of 18% usage of renewables.^[12] Producers have been guaranteed a fixed feed-in tariff for 20 years, guaranteeing a fixed income. Energy co-operatives have been created, and efforts were made to decentralize control and profits. The large energy companies have a disproportionately small share of the renewables market. However, in some cases poor investment designs have caused bankruptcies and low returns, and unrealistic promises have been shown to be far from reality.^[13] Nuclear power plants were closed, and the existing nine plants will close earlier than planned, in 2022.

One factor that has inhibited efficient employment of new renewable energy has been the lack of an accompanying investment in power infrastructure to bring the power to market. It is believed 8,300 km of power lines must be built or upgraded.^[12] The different German States have varying attitudes to the construction of new power lines. Industry has had their rates frozen and so the increased costs of the Energiewende have been passed on to consumers, who have had rising electricity bills. Germans in 2013 had some of the highest electricity prices (including taxes) in Europe.^[14] In comparison, its neighbors (Poland, Sweden, Denmark and nuclear-reliant France) have some of the lowest costs (excluding taxes) in the EU.^[15]^[16]

Acceptance of power plants in the neighborhood (Germany 2014)^[17]. By Lindaholm for Strom-Report.de - http://strom-report.de, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38897889

According to a 2014 survey conducted by TNS Emnid for the German Renewable Energies Agency among 1015 respondents, 94 per cent of the Germans support the enforced expansion of Renewable Energies. More than two-thirds of the interviewees agree to renewable power plants close to their homes.^[18] The share of total final energy from renewables was 11% in 2014.^[19]^:137

On 1 August 2014, a revised Renewable Energy Sources Act entered into force. Specific deployment corridors now stipulate the extent to which renewable energy is to be expanded in the future and the funding rates (feed-in tariffs) will no longer be fixed by the government, but will be determined by auction.^[20]

Market redesign is a key part of the Energiewende. The German electricity market needs to be reworked to suit.^[21] Among other things, wind and PV cannot be principally refinanced under the current marginal cost based market. Carbon pricing is also central to the Energiewende and the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) needs to be reformed to create a genuine scarcity of certificates.^[22] The German federal government is calling for such reform.^[20] Most of the computer scenarios used to analyse the Energiewende rely on a substantial carbon price to drive the transition to low-carbon technologies.

Coal-fired generation needs to be retired as part of the Energiewende. Some argue for an explicit negotiated phase-out of coal plants, along the lines of the well-publicized nuclear phase-out.^[23] Coal comprised 42% of electricity generation in 2015. If Germany is to limit its contribution to a global temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, as declared in the 2015 Paris Agreement, a complete phase-out of fossil fuels together with a shift to 100% renewable energy is required by about 2040.^[24]

The Energiewende is made up of various technical building blocks. Electricity storage, while too expensive at present, may become a useful technology in the future.^[25]^[26] Energy efficiency has a key but currently under-recognised role to play.^[27] Improved energy efficiency is one of Germany's official targets. Greater integration with adjoining national electricity networks can offer mutual benefits — indeed, systems with high shares of renewables can utilize geographical diversity to offset intermittency.^[28]

Germany invested €1.5 billion in energy research in 2013.^[29] Of that the German federal government spent €820 million supporting projects ranging from basic research to applications.^[20] The federal government also foresees an export role for German expertise in the area.^[20]

The social and political dimensions of the Energiewende have been subject to study. Strunz argues that the underlying technological, political and economic structures will need to change radically — a process he calls regime shift.^[30] Schmid, Knopf, and Pechan analyse the actors and institutions that will be decisive in the Energiewende and how latency in the national electricity infrastructure may restrict progress.^[31]

On 3 December 2014, the German federal government released its National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency (NAPE) in order to improve the uptake of energy efficiency.^[32]^[33] The areas covered are the energy efficiency of buildings, energy conservation for companies, consumer energy efficiency, and transport energy efficiency. German industry is expected to make a sizeable contribution.

An official federal government report on progress under the Energiewende, updated for 2014, notes that:^[10]

energy consumption fell by 4.7% in 2014 (from 2013) and at 13132 petajoules reached it lowest level since 1990
renewable generation is the number-one source of electricity
energy efficiency increased by an average annual 1.6% between 2008 and 2014
final energy consumption in the transport sector was 1.7% higher in 2014 than in 2005
for the first time in more than ten years, electricity prices for household customers fell at the beginning of 2015

A commentary on the progress report expands on many of the issues raised.^[34]

Slow progress on transmission network reinforcement has led to a deferment of new windfarms in northern Germany.^[35] The German cabinet earlier approved costly underground cabling in October 2015 in a bid to dispel local resistance against above-ground pylons and to speed up the expansion process.^[36]

Analysis by Agora Energiewende in late-2016 suggests that Germany will probably miss several of its key Energiewende targets, despite recent reforms to the Renewable Energy Sources Act and the wholesale electricity market. The goal to cut emissions by 40% by 2020 "will most likely be missed ... if no further measures are taken" and the 55–60% share of renewable energy in gross electricity consumption by 2035 is "unachievable" with the current plans for renewables expansion.^[37]^[38] In November 2016, Agora Energiewende reported on the impact of the new EEG (2017) and several other related new laws. It concludes that this new legislation will bring "fundamental changes" for large sections of the energy industry, but have limited effect on the economy and on consumers.^[39]^[40]

The 2016 Climate Action Plan for Germany, adopted on 14 November 2016, introduced sector targets for GHG emissions.^[41]^[42] The goal for the energy sector is shown in the table. The plan states that the energy supply must be "almost completely decarbonised" by 2050, with renewables as its main source. For the electricity sector, "in the long-term, electricity generation must be based almost entirely on renewable energies" and "the share of wind and solar power in total electricity production will rise significantly". Notwithstanding, during the transition, "less carbon-intensive natural gas power plants and the existing most modern coal power plants play an important role as interim technologies".^[43]

Sector targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions for 2030 ^[42]^:4^[43]
Sector	1990	2014	2030	Reduction (2030 relative 1990)
Energy	466	358	175–183	61–62%
Buildings	209	119	70–72	66–67%
Transport	163	160	95–98	40–42%
Industry	283	181	140–143	49–51%
Agriculture	88	72	58–61	31–34%
Other	39	12	5	87%
Total	1248	902	543–562	55–56%

The fifth monitoring report on the Energiewende for 2015 was published in December 2016. The expert commission which wrote the report warns that Germany will probably miss its 2020 climate targets and believes that this could threaten the credibility of the entire endeavor. The commission puts forward a number of measures to address the slowdown, including a flat national CO
2 price imposed across all sectors, a greater focus on transport, and full market exposure for renewable generation. Regarding the carbon price, the commission thinks that a reformed EU ETS would be better, but that achieving agreement across Europe is unlikely.^[44]^[45]

3. Citizen Support and Participation

(As of 2016), citizen support for the Energiewende remains high, with recent surveys indicating that about 80–90% of the public are in favor.^[46] One reason for the high acceptance is the substantial participation of German citizens in the Energiewende, as private households, land owners, or members of energy cooperatives (Genossenschaft).^[47] A 2016 survey showed that roughly one in two Germans would consider investing in community renewable energy projects.^[48] Manfred Fischedick, Director of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy has commented that "if people participate with their own money, for example in a wind or solar power plant in their area, they will also support [the Energiewende]."^[47] A 2010 study shows the benefits to municipalities of community ownership of renewable generation in their locality.^[49]

The share of renewable energy owned by citizens has decreased since the beginning of the Energiewende. By https://energytransition.org/ - Share of German citizen renewable energy shrinking, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66821063

Estimates for 2012 suggested that almost half the renewable energy capacity in Germany was owned by citizens through energy cooperatives and private initiatives.^[50] More specifically, citizens accounted for nearly half of all installed biogas and solar capacity and half of the installed onshore wind capacity.^[47]^[51] However, changes in energy policy, starting with the Renewable Energy Sources Act in 2014, have jeopardized the efforts of citizens to participate.^[47]^[52] The share of citizen-owned renewable energy has since dropped to 42.5% as of 2016.^[53]

4. Computer Studies

Much of the policy development for the Energiewende is underpinned by computer models, run mostly by universities and research institutes. The models are usually based on scenario analysis and are used to investigate different assumptions regarding the stability, sustainability, cost, efficiency, and public acceptability of various sets of technologies. Some models cover the entire energy sector, while others are confined to electricity generation and consumption. A 2016 book investigates the usefulness and limitations of energy scenarios and energy models within the context of the Energiewende.^[54]

A number of computer studies confirm the feasibility of the German electricity system being 100% renewable in 2050. Some investigate the prospect of the entire energy system (all energy carriers) being fully renewable too.

4.1. 2009 WWF Study

In 2009 WWF Germany published a quantitative study prepared by the Öko-Institut, Prognos, and Hans-Joachim Ziesing.^[55] The study presumes a 95% reduction in greenhouse gases by the year 2050 and covers all sectors. The study shows that the transformation from a high-carbon to a low-carbon economy is possible and affordable. It notes that by committing to this transformation path, Germany could become a model for other countries.

4.2. 2011 German Advisory Council on the Environment Study

A 2011 report from the German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) concludes that Germany can attain 100% renewable electricity generation by 2050.^[56]^[57] The German Aerospace Center (DLR) REMix high-resolution energy model was used for the analysis. A range of scenarios were investigated and a cost-competitive transition with good security of supply is possible.

The authors presume that the transmission network will continue to be reinforced and that cooperation with Norway and Sweden would allow their hydro generation to be utilized for storage. The transition does not require Germany's nuclear phase-out (Atomausstieg) to be extended nor the construction of coal-fired plants with carbon capture and storage (CCS). Conventional generation assets need not be stranded and an orderly transition should prevail. Stringent energy efficiency and energy saving programs can bring down the future costs of electricity.

4.3. 2015 Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project Study

The Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project (DDPP) aims to demonstrate how countries can transform their energy systems by 2050 in order to achieve a low-carbon economy. The 2015 German country report, produced in association with the Wuppertal Institute, examines the official target of reducing domestic GHG emissions by 80% to 95% by 2050 (compared with 1990).^[58] Decarbonization pathways for Germany are illustrated by means of three ambitious scenarios with energy-related emission reductions between 1990 and 2050 varying between 80% and more than 90%. Three strategies strongly contribute to GHG emission reduction:

energy efficiency improvements (in all sectors but especially in buildings)
increased use of domestic renewables (with a focus on electricity generation)
electrification and (in two of the scenarios also) use of renewable electricity-based synthetic fuels (especially in the transport and industry sector)

In addition, some scenarios use controversially:

final energy demand reductions through behavioral changes (modal shift in transport, changes in eating and heating habits)
net imports of electricity from renewable sources or of bioenergy
use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to reduce industry sector GHG emissions (including cement production)

Potential co-benefits for Germany include increased energy security, higher competitiveness of and global business opportunities for companies, job creation, stronger GDP growth, smaller energy bills for households, and less air pollution.

4.4. 2015 Fraunhofer ISE Study

Using the model REMod-D (Renewable Energy Model – Germany),^[59] this 2015 Fraunhofer ISE study investigates several system transformation scenarios and their related costs.^[60] The guiding question of the study is: how can a cost-optimised transformation of the German energy system — with consideration of all energy carriers and consumer sectors — be achieved while meeting the declared climate protection targets and ensuring a secure energy supply at all times. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is explicitly excluded from the scenarios. A future energy scenario emitting 85% less CO₂ emissions than 1990 levels is compared with a reference scenario, which assumes that the German energy system operates in 2050 the same way as it does today. Under this comparison, primary energy supply drops 42%. The total cumulative costs depend on the future prices for carbon and oil. If the penalty for CO₂ emissions increases to €100/tonne by 2030 and thereafter remains constant and fossil fuel prices increase annually by 2%, then the total cumulative costs of today's energy system are 8% higher than the costs required for the minus 85% scenario up to 2050. The report also notes:

From the macroeconomic perspective, the transformation of Germany's energy system demands a significant shift in cash flow, moving the cash spent on energy imports today to spend it instead on new investments in systems, their operation and maintenance. In this respect a transformed energy system requires a large expenditure for local added value, a factor which also does not appear in the shown cost analysis.^[60]^:8

4.5. 2015 DIW Study

A 2015 study uses DIETER or Dispatch and Investment Evaluation Tool with Endogenous Renewables, developed by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), Berlin, Germany. The study examines the power storage requirements for renewables uptake ranging from 60% to 100%. Under the baseline scenario of 80% (the German government target for 2050), grid storage requirements remain moderate and other options on both the supply side and demand side offer flexibility at low cost. Nonetheless storage plays an important role in the provision of reserves. Storage becomes more pronounced under higher shares of renewables, but strongly depends on the costs and availability of other flexibility options, particularly on biomass availability. The model is fully described in the study report.^[61]

4.6. 2016 Acatech Study

A 2016 acatech-lead study focused on so-called flexibility technologies used to balance the fluctuations inherent in power generation from wind and photovoltaics.^[62]^[63] Set in 2050, several scenarios use gas power plants to stabilise the backbone of energy system, ensuring supply security during several weeks of low wind and solar radiation. Other scenarios investigate a 100% renewable system and show these to be possible but more costly. Flexible consumption and storage control (demand-side management) in households and the industrial sector is the most cost-efficient means of balancing short-term power fluctuations. Long-term storage systems, based on power-to-X, are only viable if carbon emissions are to be reduced by more than 80%. On the question of costs, the study notes:

Assuming that the price of emissions allowances in 2050 will significantly surpass its current level, a power generation system boasting a high percentage of wind and photovoltaics will, as a rule, come cheaper than a system dominated by fossil fuel power plants.^[62]^:7

4.7. 2016 Stanford University Study

The Atmosphere/Energy Program at Stanford University has developed roadmaps for 139 countries to achieve energy systems powered only by wind, water, and sunlight (WWS) by 2050.^[64]^[65] In the case of Germany, total end-use energy drops from 375.8 GW for business-as-usual to 260.9 GW under a fully renewable transition. Load shares in 2050 would be: on-shore wind 35%, off-shore wind 17%, wave 0.08%, geothermal 0.01%, hydro-electric 0.87%, tidal 0%, residential PV 6.75%, commercial PV 6.48%, utility PV 33.8%, and concentrating solar power 0%. The study also assess avoided air pollution, eliminated global climate change costs, and net job creation. These co-benefits are substantial.

5. Criticisms

Using biomass as a fuel produces air pollution in the form of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, NOx (nitrogen oxides), VOCs (volatile organic compounds), particulates and other pollutants. However, since the beginning of the Energiewende the balance of biomass vs other forms of renewable energy has shifted; biomass made up 7.0% of Germany's power generation mix in 2017.^[66] Biomass has the potential to be a carbon-neutral fuel because growing biomass absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and a portion of the carbon absorbed remains in the ground after harvest.^[67] Biomass contains less sulfur than coal and so produces much less sulfur dioxide than coal.^[68]^[69]

After introduction of the original Renewable Energy Sources Act in 2000 there was a focus on long term costs, while in later years this has shifted to a focus on short term costs and the "financial burden" of the Energiewende while ignoring environmental externalities of fossil fuels.^[70] Nonetheless, for the first time in more than ten years, electricity prices for household customers fell at the beginning of 2015.^[10]

Components of the German electricity price for households in 2016^[71] By Lindaholm for http://Strom-Report.de - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50736291

The renewable energy levy to finance green power investment is added to Germans' electricity unit price. The surcharge (22.1% in 2016 ) pays the state-guaranteed price for renewable energy to producers and is 6.35 cents per kWh in 2016.^[72]

A comprehensive study, published in Energy Policy in 2013, said that the phase-out of Germany's fleet of nuclear reactors, to be complete by 2022, is contradictory to the goal of the climate portion of the program.^[73] The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recognizes nuclear as one of the lowest lifecycle emissions energy sources available, lower than even solar, and only bested (slightly) by wind. ^[74] The US National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) also cites nuclear as a very low lifecycle emissions source ^[75]

German Economy and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel admitted "For a country like Germany with a strong industrial base, exiting nuclear and coal-fired power generation at the same time would not be possible."^[76]^[77] Germany's CO
2 emissions were escalating in 2012 and 2013 and it is planned to reopen some of the dirtiest brown coal mines that had previously been closed. Coal generated electricity increased to 45% in 2013, the highest level since 2007.^[78] Nonetheless, in 2014 carbon emissions had declined again. More renewable energy had been generated and a greater energy efficiency had been achieved.^[72] From 1999 to 2014 renewable energy production rose from 29 TWh to 161 TWh, while nuclear power fell from 180 to 97 TWh and coal power production fell from 291 to 265 TWh.^[70]

References

Krause, Florentin; Bossel, Hartmut; Müller-Reißmann, Karl-Friedrich (1980) (in German). Energie-Wende: Wachstum und Wohlstand ohne Erdöl und Uran. Germany: S Fischer Verlag. ISBN 3-10-007705-9. http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sachbuchforschung/CONTENT/SBDB/pix/PDF/Krause-Energie-Inhalt.pdf. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
Jacobs, David (2012). "The German Energiewende: history, targets, policies and challenges". Renewable Energy Law and Policy Review 3 (4): 223–233. In support of the claim that Krause et al (1980) was the first use of the term Energiewende.
https://book.energytransition.org/origin-term-energiewende
Paulitz, Henrik. "Dezentrale Energiegewinnung — Eine Revolutionierung der gesellschaftlichen Verhältnisse" (in German). http://www.ippnw.de/atomenergie/energiewende/artikel/de/dezentrale-energiegewinnung-eine-r.html.
"Mit Bürgerengagement zur Energiewende" (in German). 2011. http://www.dnr.de/publikationen/umwelt-aktuell---archiv-2011/102011/mit-buergerengagement-zur-energiewende.html.
Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi); Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) (28 September 2010). Energy concept for an environmentally sound, reliable and affordable energy supply. Berlin, Germany: Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). http://www.bmwi.de/English/Redaktion/Pdf/energy-concept,property=pdf,bereich=bmwi,sprache=en,rwb=true.pdf. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
The Federal Government's energy concept of 2010 and the transformation of the energy system of 2011. Bonn, Germany: Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU). October 2011. http://www.germany.info/contentblob/3043402/Daten/3903429/BMUBMWi_Energy_Concept_DD.pdf. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
"Overview CDU/CSU and SPD present Coalition Agreement – 55% to 60% renewables by 2035 and more". Germany. 27 November 2013. http://www.germanenergyblog.de/?page_id=14825.
"INFOGRAPHIC: Can Germany’s Energiewende ensure supply security?". EurActiv.com. http://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/infographic/infographic-can-germany-s-energiewende-ensure-supply-security/.
The Energy of the Future: Fourth "Energy Transition" Monitoring Report — Summary. Berlin, Germany: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). November 2015. https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/EN/Publikationen/vierter-monitoring-bericht-energie-der-zukunft-kurzfassung.pdf. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
Overview of legislation governing Germany's energy supply system: key strategies, acts, directives, and regulations / ordinances. Berlin, Germany: Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). May 2016. http://www.bmwi.de/English/Redaktion/Pdf/gesetzeskarte,property=pdf,bereich=bmwi2012,sprache=en,rwb=true.pdf. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
"Germany's energy transformation Energiewende". The Economist. 28 July 2012. http://www.economist.com/node/21559667.
Latsch, Gunther; Seith, Anne; Traufetter, Gerald (30 January 2014). "Gone with the wind: weak returns cripple German renewables". Der Spiegel. http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/wind-power-investments-in-germany-proving-riskier-than-thought-a-946367.html.
"Troubled turn: Germany’s national energy project is becoming a cause for disunion". The Economist. 7 February 2013. https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21571440-germanys-national-energy-project-becoming-cause-disunion-troubled-turn.
Electricity prices for industrial consumers Eurostat, October 2015 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Electricity_price_statistics#Electricity_prices_for_industrial_consumers
Electricity prices (table) Eurostat, October 2016 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/images/4/4f/Half-yearly_electricity_and_gas_prices_%28EUR%29.png
"A powerplant in your neighborhood?: acceptance of power plants close to the home". 2014. http://strom-report.de/renewable-energy.
"Akzeptanzumfrage 2014: 92 Prozent der Deutschen unterstützen den Ausbau Erneuerbarer Energien". http://www.unendlich-viel-energie.de/themen/akzeptanz2/akzeptanz-umfrage/akzeptanzumfrage-2014.
REN21 (2015). Renewables 2015: global status report. Paris, France: REN21 Secretariat. ISBN 978-3-9815934-6-4. http://www.ren21.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/REN12-GSR2015_Onlinebook_low1.pdf. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
Making a success of the energy transition: on the road to a secure, clean and affordable energy supply. Berlin, Germany: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). September 2015. http://www.bmwi.de/English/Redaktion/Pdf/making-a-success-of-the-energy-transition,property=pdf,bereich=bmwi2012,sprache=en,rwb=true.pdf. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
Agora Energiewende (2013). 12 insights on Germany's Energiewende : a discussion paper exploring key challenges for the power sector. Berlin, Germany: Agora Energiewende. http://www.agora-energiewende.de/fileadmin/Projekte/2012/12-Thesen/Agora_12_Insights_on_Germanys_Energiewende_web.pdf. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
Agora Energiewende (2015). The role of emissions trading in the energy transition: perspectives and limitations on current reform proposals. Berlin, Germany: Agora Energiewende. http://www.agora-energiewende.de/fileadmin/Projekte/2014/Kohledialog/Agora_Background_Roll_of_Emission_Trading_web.pdf. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
Agora Energiewende (2016). Eleven principles for a consensus on coal: concept for a stepwise decarbonisation of the German power sector (Short version). Berlin, Germany: Agora Energiewende. http://www.agora-energiewende.de/fileadmin/Projekte/2015/Kohlekonsens/Agora_Kohlekonsens_KF_EN_WEB.pdf. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
Quaschning, Volker (20 June 2016) (in German). Sektorkopplung durch die Energiewende: Anforderungen an den Ausbau erneuerbarer Energien zum Erreichen der Pariser Klimaschutzziele unter Berücksichtigung der Sektorkopplung. Berlin, Germany: Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin. http://pvspeicher.htw-berlin.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HTW-2016-Sektorkopplungsstudie.pdf. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
Agora Energiewende (2014). Electricity storage in the German energy transition: analysis of the storage required in the power market, ancillary services market and the distribution grid. Berlin, Germany: Agora Energiewende. http://www.agora-energiewende.de/fileadmin/Projekte/2013/speicher-in-der-energiewende/Agora_Speicherstudie_EN_web.pdf. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
Schill, Wolf-Peter; Diekmann, Jochen; Zerrahn, Alexander (2015). "Power storage: an important option for the German energy transition". DIW Economic Bulletin 5 (10): 137–146. ISSN 2192-7219. https://www.econstor.eu/dspace/bitstream/10419/108856/1/820492299.pdf. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
Agora Energiewende (2014). Benefits of energy efficiency on the German power sector : summary of key findings from a study conducted by Prognos AG and IAEW. Berlin, Germany: Agora Energiewende. http://www.agora-energiewende.de/fileadmin/Projekte/2012/positive-effekte-energieeffizienz/Agora_ECF_RAP_System_Benefit_Study_short_version_web.pdf. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
Agora Energiewende (2015). Increased integration of the Nordic and German electricity systems : modelling and assessment of economic and climate effects of enhanced electrical interconnection and the additional deployment of renewable energies. Berlin, Germany: Agora Energiewende. http://www.agora-energiewende.de/fileadmin/Projekte/2014/nordic-german-integration-project/Agora_Increased_Integration_Nordics_Germany_SHORT_WEB.pdf. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
Schiermeier, Quirin (10 April 2013). "Renewable power: Germany's energy gamble: an ambitious plan to slash greenhouse-gas emissions must clear some high technical and economic hurdles". Nature. doi:10.1038/496156a. http://www.nature.com/news/renewable-power-germany-s-energy-gamble-1.12755.
Strunz, Sebastian (2014). "The German energy transition as a regime shift". Ecological Economics 100: 150–158. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2014.01.019. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.ecolecon.2014.01.019
Schmid, Eva; Knopf, Brigitte; Pechan, Anna (2015). Who puts the German Energiewende into action? : characterizing arenas of change and implications for electricity infrastructure. http://www.transformation-des-energiesystems.de/sites/default/files/de_zentral_Schmid_Best_Paper.pdf. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
"National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency (NAPE): making more out of energy". http://www.bmwi.de/EN/Topics/Energy/Energy-Efficiency/nape,did=667778.html.
Making more out of energy: National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency. Berlin, Germany: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). December 2014. http://www.bmwi.de/English/Redaktion/Pdf/nape-national-action-plan-on-energy-efficiency,property=pdf,bereich=bmwi2012,sprache=en,rwb=true.pdf. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
Löschel, Andreas; Erdmann, Georg; Staiß, Frithjof; Ziesing, Hans-Joachim (November 2015). Statement on the Fourth Monitoring Report of the Federal Government for 2014. Germany: Expert Commission on the "Energy of the Future" Monitoring Process. https://www.bmwi.de/BMWi/Redaktion/PDF/V/vierter-monitoringbericht-energie-der-zukunft-stellungnahme-zusammenfassung-englisch,property=pdf,bereich=bmwi2012,sprache=de,rwb=true.pdf. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
Oltermann, Philip (11 October 2016). "Germany takes steps to roll back renewable energy revolution". The Guardian (London, United Kingdom). https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/11/germany-takes-steps-to-roll-back-renewable-energy-revolution.
Chambers, Madeline (7 October 2015). "German cabinet agrees to costly underground power lines". Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/germany-energy-power-idUSL8N12722320151007.
"Energiewende: What do the new laws mean?". Clean Energy Wire (CLEW) (Berlin, Germany). 14 October 2016. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germany-set-miss-climate-goals-think-tank/energiewende-what-do-new-laws-mean.
(in German) Energiewende: Was bedeuten die neuen Gesetze? – 102/06-H-2016/DE. Berlin, Germany: Agora Energiewende. https://www.agora-energiewende.de/fileadmin/Projekte/2016/EEG-FAQ/Agora_Hintergrund_FAQ-EEG_WEB.pdf. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
"Energiewende: What do the new laws mean?". Clean Energy Wire (CLEW) (Berlin, Germany). 18 November 2016. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/vw-cuts-23000-german-jobs-putting-jobs-climate/energiewende-what-do-new-laws-mean.
Argyropoulos, Daniel; Godron, Philipp; Graichen, Patrick; Litz, Philipp; Pescia, Dimitri; Podewils, Christoph; Redl, Christian; Ropenus, Stephanie et al. (November 2016). Energiewende: What do the new laws mean?: Ten questions and answers about EEG 2017, the Electricity Market Act, and the Digitisation Act — 103/07-H-2016/EN. Berlin, Germany: Agora Energiewende. https://www.agora-energiewende.de/fileadmin/Projekte/2016/EEG-FAQ/Agora_FAQ-EEG_EN_WEB.pdf. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
(in German) Klimaschutzplan 2050: Kabinettbeschluss vom 14. November 2016. Berlin, Germany: Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau und Reaktorsicherheit (BMUB). 14 November 2016. http://www.bmub.bund.de/fileadmin/Daten_BMU/Download_PDF/Klimaschutz/klimaschutzplan_2050_bf.pdf. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
Climate Action Plan 2050: Principles and goals of the German government's climate policy. Berlin, Germany: Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau und Reaktorsicherheit (BMUB). 14 November 2016. http://www.bmub.bund.de/fileadmin/Daten_BMU/Download_PDF/Klimaschutz/klimaschutzplan_2050_kurzf_en_bf.pdf. Retrieved 2016-11-17. This document is not an extract translated from the official plan.
Amelang, Sören; Wehrmann, Benjamin; Wettengel, Julian (17 November 2016). "Germany's Climate Action Plan 2050". Clean Energy Wire (CLEW). Berlin, Germany. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-climate-action-plan-2050/.
Egenter, Sven; Wehrmann, Benjamin (15 December 2016). "Experts call for CO2 price to retain Energiewende's credibility". Clean Energy Wire (CLEW) (Berlin, German). https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/experts-call-co2-price-retain-energiewendes-credibility.
(in German) Die Energie der Zukunft: Fünfter Monitoring-Bericht zur Energiewende: Berichtsjahr 2015. Berlin, Germany: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). December 2016. http://bmwi.de/BMWi/Redaktion/PDF/Publikationen/fuenfter-monitoring-bericht-energie-der-zukunft,property=pdf,bereich=bmwi2012,sprache=de,rwb=true.pdf. Retrieved 2016-12-15.
Amelang, Sören; Wettengel, Julian (4 May 2016). "Polls reveal citizens' support for Energiewende". Berlin, Germany. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/polls-reveal-citizens-support-energiewende.
Borchert, Lars (10 March 2015). "Germany between citizens' energy and Nimbyism". Berlin, Germany. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/dossiers/peoples-energiewende.
"About one in two Germans is willing to financially participate in solar photovoltaic or wind power capacity". St Gallen, Switzerland. 8 September 2016. http://www.unisg.ch/en/wissen/newsroom/aktuell/rssnews/forschung-lehre/2016/september/energiewende-deutschland-investoren-umfrage-08september2016.
Mühlenhoff, Jörg (December 2010). "Value creation for local communities through renewable energies: results of the study by the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW)". Renews Special (Berlin, Germany: German Renewable Energies Agency) (46). ISSN 2190-3581. https://www.germany.info/contentblob/3097466/Daten/1196468/RenewsSpecial_DD.pdf. Retrieved 2016-08-05. See also Institut für ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung.
Amelang, Sören (29 June 2016). "The reform of the Renewable Energy Act: Germany's energy transition revamp stirs controversy over speed, participation". Berlin, Germany. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/dossiers/reform-renewable-energy-act.
University of Lüneburg; Nestle, Uwe (April 2014) (in German). Marktrealität von Bürgerenergie und mögliche Auswirkungen von regulatorischen Eingriffen — Eine Studie für das Bündnis Bürgerenergie e.V. (BBEn) und dem Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland e.V. (BUND). http://www.leuphana.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Forschungseinrichtungen/professuren/finanzierung-finanzwirtschaft/files/Studie_Marktrealitaet_von_Buergerenergie_Leuphana_FINAL_23042014.pdf. Retrieved 2016-09-09.
Morris, Craig (24 February 2015). "Few new German energy co-ops in 2014". Berlin, Germany. http://energytransition.de/2015/02/few-new-german-energy-coops-in-2014/.
"Share of German citizen renewable energy shrinking" (in en-US). Energy Transition. 2018-02-07. https://energytransition.org/2018/02/share-of-german-citizen-renewable-energy-shrinking/.
Dieckhoff, Christian; Leuschner, Anna, eds (November 2016) (in German). Die Energiewende und ihre Modelle: Was uns Energieszenarien sagen können – und was nicht. Bielefeld, Germany: transcript Verlag. ISBN 978-3-8376-3171-5.
WWF Germany (2009). Blueprint Germany : a strategy for a climate safe 2050. Berlin, Germany: WWF Germany. http://www.wwf.de/fileadmin/fm-wwf/Publikationen-PDF/blueprint_germany_wwf.pdf. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
"Climate-friendly, reliable, affordable: 100% renewable electricity supply by 2050" (Press release). Berlin, Germany: German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU). 5 May 2010. Retrieved 2016-11-11. http://www.umweltrat.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/EN/CurrentPressReleases/2010/2010_05_PressRelease_100percent_renewable_electricity_%20supply.html;jsessionid=C083C00D1CDE35A6AA1FE4EA50BCBB3B.1_cid335
Pathways towards a 100 % renewable electricity system — Special report. Berlin, Germany: German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU). October 2011. http://www.umweltrat.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/EN/02_Special_Reports/2011_10_Special_Report_Pathways_renewables.pdf?__blob=publicationFile. Retrieved 2016-11-11. (Public domain, see PDF metadata)
Hillebrandt, Katharina, ed (2015). Pathways to deep decarbonization in Germany. Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI). http://deepdecarbonization.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/DDPP_DEU.pdf. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
Henning, Hans-Martin; Palzer, Andreas (2014). "A comprehensive model for the German electricity and heat sector in a future energy system with a dominant contribution from renewable energy technologies — Part I: Methodology". Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 30: 1003–1018. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2013.09.012. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.rser.2013.09.012
Henning, Hans-Martin; Palzer, Andreas (2015). What will the energy transformation cost? : pathways for transforming the German energy system by 2050. Freiburg, Germany: Fraunhofer Institute For Solar Energy Systems ISE. http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/publications/veroeffentlichungen-pdf-dateien-en/studien-und-konzeptpapiere/study-what-will-the-energy-transformation-cost.pdf. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
Zerrahn, Alexander; Schill, Wolf-Peter (2015). A greenfield model to evaluate long-run power storage requirements for high shares of renewables — DIW discussion paper 1457. Berlin, Germany: German Institute for Economic Research (DIW). http://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.498475.de/dp1457.pdf. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
Flexibility concepts for the German power supply in 2050 : ensuring stability in the age of renewable energies. Berlin, Germany: acatech — National Academy of Science and Engineering. 2016. ISBN 978-3-8047-3549-1. http://www.acatech.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Baumstruktur_nach_Website/Acatech/root/de/Publikationen/Kooperationspublikationen/ESYS_Position_Paper_Flexibility_concepts.pdf. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
Lunz, Benedikt; Stöcker, Philipp; Eckstein, Sascha; Nebel, Arjuna; Samadi, Sascha; Erlach, Berit; Fischedick, Manfred; Elsner, Peter et al. (2016). "Scenario-based comparative assessment of potential future electricity systems — A new methodological approach using Germany in 2050 as an example". Applied Energy 171: 555–580. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.03.087. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.apenergy.2016.03.087
Jacobson, Mark Z; Delucchi, Mark A; Bauer, Zack AF; Goodman, Savannah C; Chapman, William E; Cameron, Mary A; Bozonnat, Cedric; Chobadi, Liat et al. (24 October 2016). 100% clean and renewable wind, water, and sunlight (WWS) all-sector energy roadmaps for 139 countries of the world. http://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/CountriesWWS.pdf. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
Delucchi, Mark A; Jacobson, Mark Z; Bauer, Zack AF; Goodman, Savannah C; Chapman, William E (2016). Spreadsheets for 139-country 100% wind, water, and solar roadmaps. http://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/WWS-50-USState-plans.html. Retrieved 2016-07-26. Direct URL: xlsx-spreadsheets.
"Germany’s energy consumption in 2017" (in en-US). Energy Transition. 2018-01-11. https://energytransition.org/2018/01/german-energy-consumption-2017/.
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41603.pdf
http://www.pfpi.net/air-pollution-2
Eartha Jane Melzer (January 26, 2010). "Proposed biomass plant: Better than coal?". The Michigan Messenger. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20100205080916/http://michiganmessenger.com/33868/proposed-biomass-plant-better-than-coal.
Lauber, Volkmar; Jacobsson, Staffan (2016). "The politics and economics of constructing, contesting and restricting socio-political space for renewables – The German Renewable Energy Act". Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions 18: 147–163. doi:10.1016/j.eist.2015.06.005. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.eist.2015.06.005
"Electricity Prices in Europe – Who Pays the Most?". https://1-stromvergleich.com/electricity-prices-europe/.
"Components of the German electricity price". May 2016. https://1-stromvergleich.com/electricity-prices-europe/#germany.
Bruninx, Kenneth; Madzharov, Darin; Delarue, Erik; D'haeseleer, William (2013). "Impact of the German nuclear phase-out on Europe's electricity generation — a comprehensive study". Energy Policy 60: 251–261. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2013.05.026. https://www.mech.kuleuven.be/en/tme/research/energy_environment/Pdf/wpen2012-1. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/wg3/ipcc_wg3_ar5_chapter7.pdf
https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy13osti/57187.pdf
Severin, Thorsten; Bryan, Victoria (12 October 2014). "Germany says can't exit coal-fired energy at same time as nuclear". reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/12/germany-energy-idUSL6N0S70W720141012.
Gabriel, Sigmar (13 October 2014). "Dear Stefan Löfven – Letter to Swedish Prime Minister from Sigmar Gabriel". Altinget. http://www.altinget.se/misc/SigmarGabriel.pdf.
Andresen, Tino (15 April 2014). "Coal returns to German utilities replacing lost nuclear". Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-04-14/coal-rises-vampire-like-as-german-utilities-seek-survival.

©Text is available under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons-Attribution ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Upload a video for this entry

Information

Subjects: Environmental Sciences

Contributor MDPI registered users' name will be linked to their SciProfiles pages. To register with us, please refer to https://encyclopedia.pub/register :

HandWiki

View Times: 1.5K

Entry Collection: HandWiki

Update Date: 09 Oct 2022

Table of Contents

Video Upload Options

Confirm