SPIEGEL ONLINE - 16.01.2013
Germany urgently needs to expand and update its power grid to meet its goal of phasing out nuclear energy and going green, but development appears to have short circuited. A member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet is calling for a radical change: the partial nationalization of the grid. By Frank Dohmen and Gerald Traufetter more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE - 24.12.2012
Germany plans to exempt 1,550 large firms from a power price surcharge that covers part of the cost of switching to renewable energy. Critics say the list of exemptions is spurious and unfair to households and small businesses. It risks undermining faith in the government's switch to clean power. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE - 21.12.2012
Poland is addicted to coal. That is the message the country has been sending both domestically and internationally as Warsaw prepares to host the global climate summit next year. In Europe, the Poles are isolated in their fight for looser emissions reduction goals and against fixes to the EU's cap-and-trade system. By Joel Stonington more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE - 26.11.2012
The United Nations Climate Change Conference beginning in Doha this week is turning into a farce. While negotiators are sticking to the goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, even climatologists admit that the project has failed. By SPIEGEL Staff
more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE - 15.11.2012
Stephan Kohler, the head of the German Energy Agency, says the country must act smarter and more realistically in its transition to renewable energy. The "feel-good" subsidies for locally produced wind and solar power have had unintended consequences, he says, and the environmental movement is often part of the problem. more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE - 13.11.2012
As recently as three years ago, many thought that it was only a matter of time before solar thermal plants in North Africa supplied a significant portion of Europe's energy needs. But Desertec has hit a road block. Industrial backers are jumping ship, political will is tepid and a key pilot project has suddenly stalled. By Joel Stonington more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE - 13.11.2012
Desertec, the ambitious plan to supply Europe with vast amounts of solar power from North Africa, has lost its shine. Friedrich Führ, co-founder of the Desertec Foundation, spoke with SPIEGEL ONLINE about the project's missteps thus far, his disappointment in European politicians and why it is vital that the venture continues. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE - 26.10.2012
Emitting CO2 into the atmosphere is dirt cheap in Europe these days. At just 8 euros per ton, the low price is undermining the European Union's effort to establish an effective cap and trade system. Implementing necessary fixes to the system, however, won't be easy in the face of industry opposition. By Joel Stonington more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE - 26.10.2012
Major industry is being spared of the costs relating to Germany's expensive shift from nuclear to green energies. The burden is being placed on small and medium-sized business as well as German consumers, who pay the second highest price for electricity in Europe. Resentment is starting to grow. By Jörg Schindler and Gerald Traufetter more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE - 15.10.2012
Germany's switch to renewable energies is driving up electricity bills across the country, with a green technology surcharge set to rise by nearly 50 percent next year. With frustration over the high price tag, it promises to become a key issue in next year's election campaign. more...
