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The liberalisation of the electricity market
With the nuclear power plants, a monopoly of a few large electricity suppliers soon formed. The local energy suppliers were responsible for the entire process, from the generation of electricity, the distribution via their own distribution network to the billing of consumption with their customers. In this process, they had the local monopoly from power…
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Lindner wants to discuss the use of nuclear power
At the end of the year, the last three remaining nuclear power plants in Germany will finally be taken off the grid. Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner now wants to discuss their continued use of nuclear power. This will add a lot of fuel to the fire in the new government with traffic lights. A…
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Too few investors for new wind turbines
With his Easter package, Robert Habeck wants to drastically accelerate the expansion of renewable energies. In particular, he wants to greatly accelerate the expansion of wind power plants. However, too few applications were received in response to the tenders of the Federal Network Agency in May, so that the line in the sum of all…
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Energy transition into a dead end – solar installations
Habeck’s Easter package provides for the massive expansion of solar installations. In the process, the traffic light government wants to introduce a solar roof obligation for buildings that are not used for residential purposes by 2023. In Baden-Württemberg, there is a solar roof obligation also for residential buildings, the construction of which will take place…
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Government prepares legislation for gas shortage
The gas supply in Germany is highly uncertain due to the Ukraine war and the associated sanctions against Russia. Economics Minister Habeck is trying to prepare the country for a possible gas shortage by quickly changing existing laws. In the process, gas consumption in the event of a gas shortage is initially to be reduced…
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Power supply in Switzerland critical
The electricity supply in Switzerland will already be critical in the coming winter. This is the result of a study commissioned by the Swiss Confederation. Depending on the scenario assessed, there could be widespread power cuts lasting from 48 hours to 10 days. Until now, the responsible electricity regulator Elcom has only expected bottlenecks in…
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Heating costs: Habeck expects dramatic increase
Due to the consequences of the war in Ukraine, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck expects a dramatic increase in heating costs in autumn. Meanwhile, he fears that the debate about this could endanger social peace in Germany. Habeck fears for social peace On the ZDF programme Maybritt Illner, Habeck said: “We will see a…
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Biden declares emergency on power supply
On 6 June, the White House in Washington released US President Biden’s emergency executive order on electricity generation capacity. The President of the United States Joseph R.Biden Jr. is using the executive order to declare an emergency with respect to the threat to the availability of sufficient electricity generation capacity to meet anticipated customer demand.…
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Thieves steal tons of cables from wind turbines
Thieves have found a new source for stealing copper: Wind turbines. Several tonnes of copper cable are laid in modern wind turbines and have thus become interesting for copper thieves. The police receive reports of such thefts almost weekly. Thieves steal copper because the metal, like many other metals, is currently in short supply and…
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Energy turnaround into a dead end
Economics and Climate Minister Robert Habeck is working on the energy turnaround and the decarbonisation of Germany to avert climate catastrophe. The goal is 100 % renewable energy in a few years. However, Habeck’s “Easter package” on the energy transition leaves many questions unanswered. In 2021, wind and solar energy accounted for only 5 %…
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Nobel laureate: Nuclear phase-out is a stupid idea
In an interview with Bild, the American Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz mercilessly reckons with the German energy transition. He considers the simultaneous German coal and nuclear phase-out a stupid idea. This is not the first time that German energy policy has been called stupid abroad. The Wall Street Journal already published an article on…
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EU wants to auction more CO2 certificates
Climate protection has always been the top priority of the EU Commission. Drastic restrictions on exhaust fumes from combustion engines, up to and including a ban on them, as well as mandatory renovation of buildings, have been on the agenda time and again. Yet the EU wants to be completely climate-neutral by 2045. Now the…
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Food price increases not yet over
As a recent study shows, producer prices for food have risen much faster than retail prices in supermarkets. Increased energy prices are particularly responsible for this. It is therefore foreseeable that food prices will continue to rise in the near future. The price increase is likely to be even higher than before. Trade expert expected…
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The economic miracle brings nuclear power plants
In the years before the Second World War, the networks grow together rapidly. Industry largely switches from being driven by steam engines to electric motors. The electricity required for this is produced in coal-fired and hydroelectric power plants. In private households, the electrical supply is limited almost exclusively to lighting and, during the war, to…
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Graduated model for the CO₂ tax on housing
The CO₂ tax on housing is to distribute the burden fairly between landlords and tenants via a graduated model. The proposal from the governing traffic light coalition provides that the share for landlords decreases the better a flat or house is insulated. Tenants would pay almost nothing for uninsulated houses. Presentation of the relay model…