The uncertain future of the coal energy industry in Germany. OSW COMMENTARY #188, 2015-10-20

Germany’s current energy strategy, known as the “energy transition”, or Energiewende, involves an accelerated withdrawal from the use of nuclear power plants and the development of renewable energy sources (RES). According to the government’s plans, the share of RES in electricity production will gradually increase from its present rate of 26% to 80% in 2050. Greenhouse gas emissions are expected to fall by 80–95% by 2050 when compared to 1990 levels. However, coal power plants still predominate in Germany’s energy mix – they produced 44% of electricity in 2014 (26% from lignite and 18% from hard coal). This makes it difficult to meet the emission reduction objectives, lignite combustion causes the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions. In order to reach the emission reduction goals, the government launched the process of accelerating the reduction of coal consumption. On 2 July, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy published a plan to reform the German energy market which will be implemented during the present term of government. Emission reduction from coal power plants is the most important issue. This problem has been extensively discussed over the past year and has transformed into a conflict between the government and the coal lobby. The dispute reached its peak when lignite miners took to the streets in Berlin. As the government admits, in order to reach the long-term emission reduction objectives, it is necessary to completely liquidate the coal energy industry in Germany. This is expected to take place within 25 to 30 years. However, since the decision to decommission nuclear power plants was passed, the German ecological movement and the Green Party have shifted their attention to coal power plants, demanding that these be decommissioned by 2030 at the latest.

System Costs of Variable Renewable Energy in the European Union. Bruges European Economic Policy (BEEP) Briefings 37/2015

To shift to a low-carbon economy, the EU has been encouraging the deployment of variable renewable energy sources (VRE). However, VRE lack of competitiveness and their technical specificities have substantially raised the cost of the transition. Economic evaluations show that VRE life-cycle costs of electricity generation are still today higher than those of conventional thermal power plants. Member States have consequently adopted dedicated policies to support them. In addition, Ueckerdt et al. (2013) show that when integrated to the power system, VRE induce supplementary not-accounted-for costs. This paper first exposes the rationale of EU renewables goals, the EU targets and current deployment. It then explains why the LCOE metric is not appropriate to compute VRE costs by describing integration costs, their magnitude and their implications. Finally, it analyses the consequences for the power system and policy options. The paper shows that the EU has greatly underestimated VRE direct and indirect costs and that policymakers have failed to take into account the burden caused by renewable energy and the return of State support policies. Indeed, induced market distortions have been shattering the whole power system and have undermined competition in the Internal Energy Market. EU policymakers can nonetheless take full account of this negative trend and reverse it by relying on competition rules, setting-up a framework to collect robust EU-wide data, redesigning the architecture of the electricity system and relying on EU regulators.

Energy Signaling in the Regulation of Gene Expression during Stress

Maintenance of homeostasis is pivotal to all forms of life. In the case of plants, homeostasis is constantly threatened by the inability to escape environmental fluctuations, and therefore sensitive mechanisms must have evolved to allow rapid perception of environmental cues and concomitant modification of growth and developmental patterns for adaptation and survival. Re-establishment of homeostasis in response to environmental perturbations requires reprogramming of metabolism and gene expression to shunt energy sources from growth-related biosynthetic processes to defense, acclimation, and, ultimately, adaptation. Failure to mount an initial 'emergency' response may result in nutrient deprivation and irreversible senescence and cell death. Early signaling events largely determine the capacity of plants to orchestrate a successful adaptive response. Early events, on the other hand, are likely to be shared by different conditions through the generation of similar signals and before more specific responses are elaborated. Recent studies lend credence to this hypothesis, underpinning the importance of a shared energy signal in the transcriptional response to various types of stress. Energy deficiency is associated with most environmental perturbations due to their direct or indirect deleterious impact on photosynthesis and/or respiration. Several systems are known to have evolved for monitoring the available resources and triggering metabolic, growth, and developmental decisions accordingly. In doing so, energy-sensing systems regulate gene expression at multiple levels to allow flexibility in the diversity and the kinetics of the stress response.

Renewable energy and the city : joint hearings before the Subcommittee on the City of the Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs, and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, first session, October 16 and 17, 1979.

Mode of access: Internet.

BPA in promoting energy conservation and renewables : hearing before the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventh Congress, first session to receive testimony on the role of the Bonneville Power Administration in promoting energy conservation and renewables, August 13, 2001, Seattle, WA.

"Printed for the use of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources."

Stepping stones to regionwide energy conservation and renewable resource programs.

"DOE/BP-6"--P. 4 of cover.

Beyond the Earth Summit : developing an energy-efficient world : hearing before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, second session, May 21, 1992.

Shipping list no.: 93-0176-P.

H.R. 4226--Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Commercialization and Development Act [microform] : hearing before the Subcommittee on Energy Research and Development of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, House of Representatives, One Hundredth Congress, second session, June 30, 1988.

"No. 126."

International energy development assistance programs : joint hearing before the Subcommittees on International Economic Policy and Trade and on Inter-American Affairs of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Subcommittee on Energy Development and Applications of the Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, second session, March 5, 1980.

Item 1017

Renewable energy in the eighties [microform] : needs for further R&D : hearings (including a symposium on renewable energy in the eighties : needs for further research, development, and demonstration) before the Subcommittee on Energy Development and Applications of the Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninety-seventh Congress, second session, May 28; July 28, 1982.

"No. 130."

A report on wind energy /

Presents an overview of the wind energy industry and discusses potential future wind energy development in Illinois.

Alternative energy in the Midwest : research and applications : conference proceedings, March 19-20, 1987, Rosemont, Illinois /

"Printed: December 1987."

Alternative energy in the Midwest : research and applications : conference proceedings, February 21-23, 1985, Schaumburg, Illinois /

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Current alternative energy research and development in Illinois.

At head of title, 1982-8 : Alternative energy.

Overview of the 1980 alternative energy bond fund projects.

Cover title.