Energy cooperatives are important players in Germany's energy transition. Their positive socio-economic impact, especially in rural regions, has been highly significant yet not well understood. PhD student and Heinrich Böll Foundation scholarship holder, Sarah Debor, takes a closer look at the empirical evidence. This paper was first published by the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy.
Three years after Fukushima, global nuclear power generation continues to decline. This year's report states that the nuclear share in the world's power generation declined steadily from a historic peak of 17.6 percent in 1996 to 10.8 percent in 2013. If it weren’t for the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, we probably wouldn’t know. This is because the nuclear industry is working hard to have us believe quite the opposite: that the world is seeing a nuclear renaissance.
From a small, progressive American city nestled in the Flatiron foothills of the Rocky Mountains to a bustling German port city, citizens and their local governments have come together to decide on the future of energy procurement and distribution in their respective cities.
The focus on the Energiewende has increasingly shifted to the role of coal in Germany. Arne Jungjohann and Craig Morris take a critical and historical look at the German coal situation and find that coal is in fact not making a comeback in Germany.
Shale gas development continues to cause a heated debate on both sides of the Atlantic with the industry touting the increasing number of jobs within the sector, as well as lower CO2 emissions in comparison to coal and oil. Although both seem to be good news for US and EU policy makers and civil society, such arguments are often exaggerated and do not reflect less promising economic and environmental realities.
The impacts of the German energy transition on its European neighbors have hardly been addressed. In 2013, HBF, in cooperation with the Ecologic Institute, invited experts from the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland to discuss the prospects for better cross-border cooperation arising from Germany's energy transition. This report is the result of the trilateral energy expert group's discussion.
This paper demonstrates that an expansion of renewable energy sources is the only path to a secure, affordable and climate-friendly energy system until 2030 and beyond. Renewables not only drastically reduce emissions and other environmental and social burdens; they also reduce energy import dependency and hence increase energy security, strengthen local economies, and create jobs.
Northern tip of Scotland, long known for its waves and currents, is channeling attention from the U.S. and other countries for its dedication to understanding how to harness energy from these elements.
As a reaction to the nuclear disaster in Fukushima in March 2011, Germany decided to phase-out nuclear power by the year 2022. Three years later, we can see what the temporary effects have been and what the long-term effects are likely to be in the country's energy sector.
How have renewable energy cooperatives helped German citizens realize the economic benefits of renewables and how have cooperatives fostered public acceptance of the energy transition?
