SPIEGEL ONLINE
- August 30, 2012
After years of decline, Germany's shipyards are now pinning their hopes on offshore wind farms, a key component of the country's energy revolution. Some have converted entirely to building equipment for wind farms. But the initial euphoria has worn off as the true challenges of the transition become clear. By Isabell Hülsen more... [ Comment ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- August 29, 2012
Germany's energy revolution is the government's only major project -- but the problems keep piling up. The pace of grid expansion is sluggish, and electricity costs for consumers are rising. The environment minister wants to fundamentally alter the way green energy is subsidized, but will it mean putting the brakes on the entire project? By Stefan Schultz in Bremerhaven more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- August 28, 2012
The share of renewable energies in Germany's power mix has shot up so high that the electricity grid and the subsidy framework has been unable to keep up. Now, the government wants to slow down the process. German commentators say that the current chaos endangers the entire project. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- August 16, 2012
Sudden fluctuations in Germany's power grid are causing major damage to a number of industrial companies. While many of them have responded by getting their own power generators and regulators to help minimize the risks, they warn that companies might be forced to leave if the government doesn't deal with the issues fast. By Catalina Schröder more... [ Comment ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- July 17, 2012
Germany's revolutionary switch to renewable energies is stalling and the country's new environment minister has now admitted as much by casting doubt on the ambitious goals set last year. Media commentators say that he and the rest of Chancellor Merkel's government must do more. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- July 09, 2012
The German energy company EWE has begun construction on an offshore wind park in the North Sea, but Germany and the Netherlands can't agree on which side of the border it is on. It is one of Europe's last undefined frontiers and it is becoming a problem for the company. By Benjamin Dürr more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- June 29, 2012
Peter Terium takes over as CEO of RWE, Germany's second-largest energy producer, on July 1. In a SPIEGEL interview, he explained why he wants to halt nuclear power plant construction and invest in renewable energy instead. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- June 06, 2012
The German government was quick to approve a phase-out of nuclear power in the country after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Now the costs of moving toward renewable energy are just being realized, and low-income consumers are paying the price. By Alexander Neubacher and Catalina Schröder more... [ Comment ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- June 06, 2012
After a year of little progress in Germany's so-called energy revolution, Chancellor Merkel recently reshuffled her cabinet to give it some fresh impetus. In a SPIEGEL interview, new Environment Minister Peter Altmaier discusses the need to inject reality into rosy assumptions and defuse anger sparked by the turnaround's costs. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- May 23, 2012
Germany's energy revolution has hardly begun, but it's already running out of steam. There is a lack of political decisiveness and companies are complaining of a dearth of incentives to invest billions in necessary infrastructure. Progress or no progress, taxpayers continue footing the bill. By Frank Dohmen, Alexander Jung, Michael Sauga and Andreas Wassermann more...
