Germany’s energy transition envisages a shift toward energy being supplied primarily from renewable sources. The expansion of renewables is largely determined by central government policy but the German Länder also play a major role and could consequently make a significant contribution...

The German Länder play an important role in the further development of renewable energy by, for example, setting their own expansion targets and creating a legislative and administrative framework, enabling them to make a significant contribution towards a successful energy transition in...

Die Förderung durch das Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz (EEG) hat in den letzten Jahren zu einem unerwartet starken Ausbau von Anlagen zur Erzeugung von Solarstrom (Photovoltaik) geführt, weil die Systempreise der Photovoltaikanlagen schneller gesunken sind als die gesetzlich garantierten...

The German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) has proven to be an effective instrument in promoting electricity from renewable resources, and the same basic structure has been adopted by a large number of other countries. The support provided for in the EEG consists particularly of a guaranteed...

Achieving the objectives of the German government's 2010 Energy Concept and the accelerated phase-out of nuclear energy will require significant investment in restructuring energy supply. In particular, these include investments in facilities for the use of renewable energies in the power and...

Einspeisevergütungen haben sich als wirksames Instrument zur Förderung erneuerbarer Energien erwiesen. Aufgrund der dynamischen Preisentwicklung der Photovoltaik wurden wiederholt mehr Anlagen installiert, als zunächst als politisches Ziel formuliert worden war. Deswegen wurde die...

The implementation of the energy transition in Germany requires the further expansion of wind and solar power. With both of these technologies, electricity generation is subject to strong seasonal and weather-related variations. In consequence, temporary situations may arise where more power is...

The German energy transition makes it necessary to increase flexibility in the electricity system. Different forms of power storage may play a part in this, yet there is competition with other options on the production or demand side. In the short term, the further expansion of electricity...

The German government plans to significantly increase deployment of electric vehicles. What impact would this have on the country’s power system and carbon emissions? This question was addressed as part of a European research project analyzing various scenarios up to 2030. One of the key...

In January 2014, the European Commission proposed a framework for its climate and energy policy up to 2030. It includes targets for reducing greenhouse gases and using renewable energies, but no specific targets for increasing energy efficiency. By 2030, greenhouse gas emissions are to be...