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Search our website for in-depth analysis (Dossiers), background info (Factsheets) or the latest News, interviewees (Experts) or 91tv Events. Please use AND/OR to find more terms in one document, NOT to exclude terms, quotation marks “…” to find precise terms or use the filters below. Under “Show today’s news” you will find the very latest on the energy transition.

  • 02 Jun 2021 |

    Germany between citizens’ energy and Nimbyism

    The People's Energiewende 02 Jun 2021, 11:00 Since the energy transition took off in 2000, millions of Germans have become energy producers, investing in solar panels on their houses and buying shares in wind parks. Citizens' engagement is one ...
  • 27 Sep 2021 |

    Vote21- German elections set the scene for key decade of energy transition

    Climate and COVID define campaigns as Merkel's era comes to an end 27 Sep 2021, 15:00 Germany is heading towards a three-party federal government with a significant climate action focus as the Social Democrats scored a thin victory in the federal ...
  • 17 Dec 2015 |

    COP21- The view from Germany

    German positions on the Paris Climate Summit 17 Dec 2015, 00:00 Hopes for the Paris Climate Summit from 30 November to 11 December are high, but will the COP21 as it is called become a breakthrough for global efforts to reign in climate change? In this ...
  • 06 Aug 2015 |

    Energiewende effects on power prices, costs and industry

    German industry and its competitive edge in times of the Energiewende 06 Aug 2015, 00:00 Industrial competitiveness in times of an energy transition: few issues have been watched as closely as this. So far, German manufacturers have kept their competitive ...
  • Germany's energy transition revamp stirs controversy over speed, participation

    The reform of the Renewable Energy Act 29 Jun 2016, 00:00 The German Renewable Energy Act (EEG) is the mechanism that has made possible the energy transition so far. It guaranteed renewable energy producers high returns on investment, which in turn helped ...
  • 17 Sep 2015 |

    Taming the appetite for energy

    The Energiewende and Efficiency 17 Sep 2015, 00:00 It will take more than just making the power supply green to achieve climate targets. Germany must also tackle demand and consume less energy. In the past, energy use only fell significantly when the ...
  • 16 Oct 2017 |

    Vote2017- German elections and the Energiewende

    Energy and climate policy in Germany's election 16 Oct 2017, 00:00 Germans have cast their vote for a new federal parliament. Incurring heavy losses, Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU/CSU alliance once again prevailed as the country& ...
  • Towns and cities central to heating and transport transition

    Cities, municipalities, and the Energiewende 26 May 2017, 00:00 Germany’s energy transition is a vast national project that is reshaping the entire country. But, of course, it is also taking place on a local level. With the shift to a decentralised energy ...
  • 18 Jan 2019 |

    City of Berlin shoots high with climate goals – but can it deliver?

    The energy transition in Germany's capital 18 Jan 2019, 12:00 Berlin’s city government has set new climate targets – some even more ambitious than Germany’s national policy. As the seat of federal government, and with its outsized international ...
  • 24 Oct 2018 |

    The wicked task of feeding 83 million in a climate-friendly way

    Emissions from food and farming in Germany 24 Oct 2018, 10:00 No matter how you look at it, people need sustenance to survive – and growing crops or raising livestock creates emissions. But Germany must find a way to reduce its agricultural emissions, ...
  • The power market and the energy transition

    The country of the Energiewende strengthens competition and flexibility 26 Aug 2015, 00:00 The Energiewende involves tough choices for politicians: How will Germany organise the market around the ever-increasing share of renewable energy? What happens if ...
  • 16 Dec 2016 |

    Green pioneer Germany struggles to make climate protection a reality

    The energy transition and climate change 16 Dec 2016, 00:00 As the home country of the Energiewende, Germany is considered a pioneer in the fight against man-made climate change. But despite a spectacular rise in power generation from renewables, the ...
  • News
  • Sharp fall of renewables levy good news for German power consumers in energy crunch

    15 Oct 2021, 12:32 Germany’s renewables levy will decrease to its lowest level in ten years as high wholesale power prices and support from the federal budget lower the need for payments from electricity consumers. This is good news for the economy and ...
  • 18 Nov 2019 |

    Tesla gigafactory in Germany hailed as gamechanger for lagging e-mobility transition

    18 Nov 2019, 12:34 Tesla's announcement to build a "gigafactory" for e-car production in Germany is likely to speed up the slow shift to electric mobility in the country, politicians and mobility experts have said. Media called the ...
  • Without innovation leaps, Germany will fail on climate action – conservative German MP

    16 Dec 2019, 10:24 Germany will miss its climate targets without leaps in technological innovation, even taking into account the recently agreed climate package, says Georg Nüßlein, deputy parliamentary group head of chancellor Angela Merkel’s ...
  • First reactions to Renewable Energy Act reform proposal

    27 Jan 2016, 00:00 The centrepiece of Germany's Energiewende in the power sector is to undergo a profound revision this year. The government has tabled a draft law for the reform of the Renewable Energy Act, which has stirred a heated debate. The ...
  • Merkel’s grand coalition in review: The climate and energy record

    08 Sep 2017, 00:00 As the current legislative period draws to a close, The 91tv asked key stakeholders to review the last four years of German energy and climate policy – and tell us what they would like to see from the next government. ...
  • Merkel endorses proposal to raise 2030 EU emission reduction target

    28 Apr 2020, 18:30 German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she welcomes the proposal by the European Commission to raise the bloc’s greenhouse gas reduction target for 2030 to between 50 and 55 percent. In her speech at the 11th Petersberg Climate ...
  • 22 Jul 2015

    In the media: Five megatrends usher in global Energiewende

    22 Jul 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv energytransition.de “‘5 megatrends’ for a global energy transition” There are five global ‘megatrends’ pointing to a world-wide energy transition, according to an overview by renewable power ...
  • 07 Oct 2019 |

    German climate law draft assigns sectoral emissions budgets for 2020-2030

    07 Oct 2019, 16:41 The German government has presented a draft of Germany’s first-ever major Climate Action Law, which assigns flexible annual greenhouse gas budgets to economic sectors for the years 2020-2030, but does not make long-term climate targets ...
  • 01 Sep 2022 |

    Growing energy cooperation between EU and UK defies worst of Brexit fallout

    01 Sep 2022, 13:42 Energy policy links between the UK and the European Union have remained strong since the UK officially left the bloc in January 2020, in contrast to complications in many other policy areas. A new renewable power interconnector project ...
  • 24 Jan 2017 |

    German energy minister to change office, takes stock of policies

    24 Jan 2017, 00:00 Germany's economy and energy minister Sigmar Gabriel will not run for Chancellor in this year's federal election. Gabriel plans to step down from his current role to head the foreign office instead, various news outlets ...
  • Extreme weather forces unprepared Europe to focus on climate adaptation

    02 Feb 2023, 10:20 Deadly summer heatwaves, floods, and snow-free ski slopes in winter are a wake-up call: Europe must urgently adapt to climate change, in addition to reducing emissions. Temperatures in the region have increased at more than twice the ...
  • Share of citizen energy in decline as funding runs out and big investors take over

    28 May 2021, 13:29 Germany’s push to replace conventional power with renewables like wind and solar PV has not only altered its energy system and shaken up established energy utility giants, it has also turned millions of Germans into electricity ...
  • 13 Jan 2017 |

    Preview2017- "Coal exit must start now"

    13 Jan 2017, 00:00 2017 will be a year filled with a multitude of seminal events for Germany's energy and climate policy. Apart from presiding over the next G20 summit, Germany will be the venue for the UN's COP23 and see legal reforms of ...
  • 27 Mar 2015

    In the media: EU takes Germany to court over Moorburg power plant

    27 Mar 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv European Commission “Commission refers Germany to Court over coal power plant in Moorburg” The European Commission is taking Germany to court over its newly open  Moorburg power plant  near Hamburg, saying the ...
  • 25 Feb 2016

    Record power export earnings / Lignite mine turns into wind farm

    25 Feb 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Fraunhofer ISE “Germany’s electricity export surplus brings record revenue of over two billion euros” Net electricity exports earned Germany a record 2.07 billion euros last year, according to think tank Fraunhofer ISE. ...
  • PV auctions: More competition, but critics warn of target shortfalls

    26 Aug 2016, 00:00 In August, Germany held the fifth tender in its new auction pilot scheme for payments to large-scale solar projects. While officials overseeing the programme continue to praise its results and declining price levels, critics warn that ...
  • 28 Aug 2020 |

    German government and states seal coal exit support deal for mining regions

    28 Aug 2020, 10:02 German coal regions will finally be able to use state support funds from the landmark phase-out agreement to help with their transition away from the fossil fuel. Federal and state governments signed a deal in Berlin to make official ...
  • 22 Jan 2016

    Taxes, fees make up bigger share of power price / Car makers go for batteries

    22 Jan 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv BDEW “Taxes and fees reach a new record high” The power price remained steady at the beginning of 2016 compared to a year ago, the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) reports. ...
  • PV auction designer hopes to keep citizens' projects on board

    08 May 2015, 00:00 Feed-in tariffs set by government or parliament have supported rapid expansion of renewable power production, along with falling costs. Now the government wants to move to a more market-based approach. With this is mind, the 2014 ...
  • Climate after corona: green stimulus package could boost the economic recovery

    08 Apr 2020, 15:30 The coronavirus crisis is driving many economies around the globe into recession, leading policymakers to draw up unprecedented spending plans to cushion the impact and enable recoveries. Activists, environmental think tanks and others ...
  • 07 Dec 2020 |

    Preview 2021 – ‘Elections will dominate climate debate in Germany’

    07 Dec 2020, 09:46 Germans should not expect a lot of climate policy decisions next year, as the debates will be firmly in the grip of the national and state election campaigns, says Brigitte Knopf, secretary general of the Mercator Research Institute on ...
  • “Undisputed success” or “inefficient”? Germany’s landmark renewable energy law at 20

    31 Mar 2020, 14:14 Expert BDEW-German Association of Energy and Water Industries Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft Electricity market Business & Jobs Cost & Prices Utilities Expert BEE- German Renewable Energy Federation ...
  • 21 May 2021 |

    German parliament raises targets for emission cuts in transport sector

    21 May 2021, 10:32 Germany has increased the emissions reduction targets in its transport sector. Following changes introduced by parliament,  the sector has to reach a share of 32 percent renewables by 2030. The use of biofuels made from palm oil will be ...
  • 13 Nov 2015

    EnBW's stable development / No bonus for e-cars

    13 Nov 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv EnBW “Stable development and progress with restructuring” Germany’s third largest utility EnBW has achieved revenue of around 15.3 billion euros and an operating result (adjusted EBITDA) of around ...
  • Taskforce agrees on post-coal strategy for German mining regions

    26 Oct 2018, 08:41 Members of Germany's coal exit commission have unanimously adopted the first major policy recommendations for the country's lignite mining regions affected by a future coal power phase-out. At an on-site meeting in the Rhenish ...
  • 26 Oct 2015

    A brown coal standby reserve to cut CO2

    26 Oct 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy “Gabriel: Brown coal agreement is important contribution to reaching climate targets” Coal power plant operators will gradually transfer 2.7 ...
  • 04 Feb 2021 |

    German govt decides new renewables quota for transport fuels, doubles EU target

    04 Feb 2021, 11:15 Germany will increase the share of renewable energies in its transport sector to 28 percent by 2030, the government cabinet decided today, agreeing on draft legislation proposed by the environment ministry. The greenhouse-gas reduction ...
  • 25 May 2016

    Germany urged to end coal financing / 'Save the Energiewende' protests

    25 May 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Reuters Campaigners urge Germany to stop financing coal projects abroad Environmental groups urged G7 nations led by Japan and Germany to stop financing coal projects abroad, reports ...
  • Booming German wind power sector fears 2019 cliff

    11 Sep 2017, 00:00 Wind power lobby groups say new funding rules are resulting in unrealistically low compensation, squeezing wind farm operators and turbine manufacturers, while measures to help citizen-owned projects compete in the sector are being ...
  • Poland's Katowice COP: Next coal country hosting UN climate talks

    17 Nov 2017, 00:00 The Bonn climate summit of 2017, a short way from Germany’s largest coal mining district, is almost over. But the COP will reconvene next year, 1,050 kilometres away from Bonn in Katowice, another traditional coal mining area located in ...
  • 25 Aug 2021 |

    German election primer – Climate activists push parties to commit to 1.5°C

    25 Aug 2021, 11:25 As Germany’s federal election in September draws closer, climate activists put pressure on all parties to back the 1.5°C global warming limit outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement. After a year of continuous protests in 2019, the ...
  • 16 Jun 2015

    In the media: Germany weighs further support for e-cars

    16 Jun 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv Reuters “Merkel says Germany weighing further support for electric cars” Chancellor Angela Merkel said further public support is needed to achieve the government’s aim of bringing 1 million electric cars on to ...
  • 17 Jul 2019 |

    Strong message, little substance on climate by new EU Commission head – reactions

    17 Jul 2019, 12:46 Expert BEE- German Renewable Energy Federation Bundesverband Erneuerbare Energien Bioenergy Citizens' energy Electricity market Renewables Solar Wind Business & Jobs Expert VDMA- German Engineering Federation Verband Deutscher ...
  • 17 Dec 2015 |

    Germans celebrate climate deal, turn to task ahead

    17 Dec 2015, 00:00 [UPDATES with comments from VKU] German politicians, climate activists, scientists and media celebrated the "historic" Paris climate agreement. Some business associations as well as activists pointed to flaws of the deal, and ...
  • First solar auction sees price above current feed-in tariff

    29 Apr 2015, 00:00 Germany’s first auction for large solar arrays attracted many bidders but did not push prices below the current feed-in tariffs. On average, successful bids came in at 9.17 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), compared to a feed-in tariff of ...
  • 05 Apr 2016

    Industry emissions almost unchanged / Wind-powered lamps

    05 Apr 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Kerstine Appunn Julian Wettengel Federal Environment Agency “Emissions trading: industry’s emissions almost unchanged in 2015” The CO₂ emissions of German energy intensive industry remained virtually unchanged for the ...
  • Tumultuous first year for Germany's government may start energy transition push

    01 Dec 2022, 12:20 One year after taking over Germany’s government, chancellor Olaf Scholz’s “traffic light” coalition looks back at some turbulent first twelve months in office that were overshadowed by Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the subsequent ...
  • 04 Apr 2019 |

    Germany sees largest emissions drop since 2009 recession

    04 Apr 2019, 15:12 Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions fell 4.5 percent in 2018 as warm weather and higher prices dampened the use of climate-damaging fossil fuels. The government called the largest drop since the 2009 recession the “first notable ...
  • 27 Jul 2017 |

    Reactions to allegations over German carmaker cartel

    27 Jul 2017, 00:00 Germany's most important carmakers have met in "secret workshops" since the 1990s in order to reach agreements on technological standards and prices, according to a report by news magazine Der Spiegel. The companies ...
  • 09 Dec 2015 |

    COP21- Day 10: New text, same issues, overnight talks

    09 Dec 2015, 00:00 [Updates party statments to new draft text] Issues of differentiation, finance, loss and damage remain / High ambition coalition seeks attention and new partners / "Preparing for long nights" says German environment minister ...
  • Econ min's “historic” climate consensus ideas met with surprise and suspicion in Germany

    14 Sep 2020, 13:52 Benjamin Wehrmann Elections & Politics Government 91tv The proposal for a " historic consensus " in German society on the need for climate action and the goal of greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050 by economy ...
  • 29 Feb 2016

    Union demands lignite fund / Agreement on e-car incentives?

    29 Feb 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Rheinische Post “Union demands lignite fund” Mining union IG BCE argues Germany will need lignite power production until 2047 and should create a fund to finance the technology after it stops earning money in about 15 ...
  • 16 Feb 2016

    Warning against coal exit / No more traffic accidents in 2025?

    16 Feb 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Sven Egenter 91tv 91tv E-World Essen State economy minister warns against decreed coal exit Garrelt Duin, economy minister for Germany’s largest federal state- North-Rhine-Westphalia- warned against a ...
  • Amazon-backed start-up tado uses smart thermostats to cut heating emissions

    17 Apr 2019, 09:50 91tv is stepping up its business coverage and exploring how the commercial landscape is being transformed by Germany's energy transition. To showcase the upheaval underway in the world’s fourth largest economy, we' ...
  • 27 Jul 2021 |

    Slow pick-up of German onshore wind expansion threatens renewables targets – industry

    27 Jul 2021, 16:55 After several years of expansion doldrums, onshore wind power development in Germany has slowly picked up in the first half of 2021, but remains insufficient for renewables expansion and climate targets, the country's wind power ...
  • 23 Dec 2022 |

    Preview 2023: Reality check set to drive resolve in Germany’s energy transition

    23 Dec 2022, 14:20 The German government coalition under chancellor Olaf Scholz looks back at a turbulent first year in office, which has been dominated by the reality check of Russia’s war on Ukraine and the European energy crisis. The turmoil in global ...
  • 08 Dec 2020 |

    Preview 2021 – ‘EU energy sovereignty key issue even under US president Biden’

    08 Dec 2020, 08:03 The European Union and Germany will continue to deal with the general question of energy sovereignty and strategic autonomy even with a new US administration led by Joe Biden, says Kirsten Westphal, senior associate at the German ...
  • 19 Jul 2021 |

    Merkel says Germany must do more to fight climate crisis in light of deadly floods

    19 Jul 2021, 13:46 Chancellor Angela Merkel says Germany has to increase its climate protection efforts after catastrophic floods killed over 150 people in the country. The disaster has brought climate change to the centre of the election campaign. After ...
  • 07 Dec 2015

    COP21 success 'still up in the air' / 'Ex-Climate Chancellor' Merkel

    07 Dec 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv Handelsblatt “Still up in the air” There are still many hurdles to an agreement in Paris and there is a real danger of disappointment, writes Klaus Stratmann in a commentary for business daily Handelsblatt. ...
  • 04 Dec 2015

    Rules on underground cables / Push for renewables is 'paying off'

    04 Dec 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv Federal Network Agency / TenneT New law on underground cables in the transmission grid German parliament has passed a law detailing that new direct current transmission lines will be put underground – this will be ...
  • 01 Dec 2015

    RWE to split in two, following in E.ON's footsteps

    01 Dec 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv RWE / Handelsblatt Utility RWE follows E.ON example, to split in two One of Germany’s largest utilities RWE will split in two, the company announced on Tuesday. Renewables, grids and retail activities in Germany ...
  • 20 Oct 2014

    Germany's energy transition in the media on 20 October

    20 Oct 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Süddeutsche Zeitung  "Don't follow the path of the dreamer"   In an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the head of the trade union for Mining, Chemicals and Energy (IG-BCE) expresses concerns over the ...
  • German Greens call on climate activists for unity in election goals

    20 Nov 2020, 13:20 Leading members of Germany's Green Party have called on climate activists to cooperate in the country's general elections next year. They warn that more radical climate platforms competing in elections could harm the fight ...
  • 11 Nov 2015

    E.ON sticks to split after record loss / Poker over brown coal

    11 Nov 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Reuters “E.ON sticks to spin-off plans after record net loss” E.ON says it is sticking to its plans to spin off its conventional power operations, after posting a record net loss in the first nine months of 2015 on the ...
  • 15 Oct 2015

    In the media: Commentators say nuclear liability law isn't enough

    15 Oct 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv Bloomberg “Germany considers emissions levy as CO2 reduction target wobbles” Germany may have to introduce a tax on emissions in order to meet its target of cutting CO2 emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels by ...
  • Climate pledges put companies in crosshairs of consumer litigation

    03 Nov 2022, 13:10 Boasting about “climate neutral” products or vague plans to become “net zero” is turning into a legal risk for companies, as activists drag firms into courts over deceiving consumers with questionable climate pledges. A raft of landmark ...
  • Germany to launch emergency programme for “huge, gigantic” 2030 emissions target task

    12 Jan 2022, 12:20 Faced with a “drastic backlog” of too-high emissions left by the previous government and with not enough measures in place to reach the 2030 climate targets, Germany’s new minister for the economy and climate, Robert Habeck, has ...
  • 09 Mar 2021 |

    Vote in German carmaker state foreshadows national election amid pandemic uncertainty

    09 Mar 2021, 09:00 A regional vote in the south-western German state of Baden-Württemberg on 14 March kicks off a busy election year in Germany that will conclude with the general elections in September and the selection of a new chancellor. While the ...
  • 27 Sep 2021 |

    Germany heading for three-party government with climate focus after tight elections

    27 Sep 2021, 09:30 Germany is heading towards a three-party federal government with a significant climate action focus as the Social Democrats scored a thin victory in the federal elections following an unexpected comeback, and the long-ruling ...
  • 02 Mar 2016

    Moves to cap renewables / West German buyer for east German lignite?

    02 Mar 2016, 00:00 tageszeitung “Short-sighted cap fans” Despite fighting climate change being a national objective and renewables now the cheapest source of energy, leading conservative politicians want to use reform of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) to ...
  • 14 Dec 2020 |

    Preview 2021: ‘We need a new electricity market design’

    14 Dec 2020, 11:13 Germany’s grid expansion is making headway – despite the Covid19 pandemic – but the power market is in need of a thorough overhaul if the country is to pursue its ambitious electrification targets while keeping up high levels of supply ...
  • 12 May 2021 |

    Cabinet decides climate law reform, tougher sector emission budgets included

    12 May 2021, 15:34 The German government’s decision to aim for greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045 – five years earlier than previously envisaged – is to be substantiated by a reform of the country’s Climate Action Law. Angela Merkel and her ministers have ...
  • 05 May 2021 |

    Germany to pull forward target date for climate neutrality to 2045

    05 May 2021, 14:59 The German government has agreed to aim for climate neutrality as early as 2045, pulling forward its previous target by five years as part of more ambitious plans to cut greenhouse gases. In a reform to be presented next week, the ...
  • 16 Feb 2015

    In the media: UK exits coal; auction plans unsettle wind power industry

    16 Feb 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Süddeutsche Zeitung “Goodbye coal” “Now the British also have their Energiewende,” Björn Finke comments on British plans to exit coal announced over the weekend. He argues London’s energy ...
  • 11 Feb 2015

    In the media: Emissions trading dead without reform- analysts

    11 Feb 2015, 00:00 Agora Energiewende “Without a decisive change of course the emissions trading system will fail permanently” Only the rapid introduction of a market stability reserve to increase the price of CO2 emissions can salvage the European system ...
  • Vote in No.1 wind power state stalls Germany’s coalition talks

    09 Oct 2017, 00:00 As Germany digests the result of this year’s federal election, the country prepares for yet another important vote, this time in the state of Lower Saxony. The early election in the country’s number one wind power state is seen as vital ...
  • 27 Nov 2015

    Minister's 'coal solo' criticised / Consumers want to be 'climate friendly'

    27 Nov 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv dpa Criticism of environment minister’s ‘solo’ push for coal exit North-Rhine Westphalia’s state premier Hannelore Kraft and her economy minister Garrelt Duin have criticised Federal Environment ...
  • 29 Dec 2014

    In the media: Hamburg focuses on renewables; innovative power storage ideas; prices in 2015; utilities and a stable grid

    29 Dec 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Hamburger Abendblatt “Hamburg puts focus on development of green energies” The city-state of Hamburg is profiting from Germany's Energiewende in the form of investment and new jobs, the ...
  • 01 Aug 2018 |

    One year after German "diesel summit," air quality challenge remains

    01 Aug 2018, 17:31 With a national “diesel summit” in early August 2017, the German government tried to curb the fallout of the country’s emissions fraud scandal and avoid being sued by the European Commission over excessive air pollution. One year on, ...
  • 08 Nov 2021 |

    Day 8 at COP26: Germany pledges additional 150 million euros for climate adaptation

    08 Nov 2021, 17:30 With the goal to "keep 1.5° within reach", many see this year's COP26 in Glasgow as the most important UN climate change conference since the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement. Industrialised countries and large emitters are ...
  • 21 Jan 2022 |

    Global coordination of climate policy top priority in German G7 presidency

    21 Jan 2022, 18:40 The German government wants to use this year’s presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialised nations and democracies to improve the coordination of global efforts to combat climate change. “We want to achieve that no ...
  • 02 Nov 2021 |

    Merkel makes plea for carbon pricing in last COP climate speech

    02 Nov 2021, 12:57 Taking her final bow on the world stage after 26 years of climate policy involvement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the opening of COP26 in Glasgow that progress in emission reductions has been insufficient to achieve the ...
  • 15 Jun 2016

    E-car subsidies delayed / Deutsche Post goes electric

    15 Jun 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Kerstine Appunn Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung “Buyer’s premium for e-cars still cannot be applied for“ Customers still cannot apply for a buyer’s premium for new e-cars after the ...
  • 04 May 2016

    Coal exit 'well before' 2050 / Blocked grid annoys Germany's neighbours

    04 May 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Reuters “Germany to exit coal power 'well before' 2050- draft document” Germany’s use of coal-fired power should come to an end “well before” 2050, a draft document from the ...
  • 11 May 2016

    Germany's appeal for renewables investment falls / Industry fears reform of renewables act

    11 May 2016, 00:00 Sven Egenter EY "Germany 5th in EY renewable investment attractiveness ranking" Germany’s attractiveness as a location for renewable investments has declined, according to major business consultancy EY. Germany is ranked fifth ...
  • 17 Jun 2015

    In the media: 2020 renewables target in reach for EU

    17 Jun 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv European Commission “EU on track to meeting 20 percent renewable energy target” The EU expects member states are on track to meet their target of a 20 percent share of renewables in gross final ...
  • 04 Jan 2021 |

    Preview 2021: Making finance truly sustainable “is not easy, but can be done”

    04 Jan 2021, 14:26 The transformation of the German and European economies will become more tangible in 2021, as new technologies, policies and business models begin to have an effect, Karsten Löffler, head of sustainable finance at the Frankfurt School ...
  • 01 Jun 2017 |

    Cities and municipalities spearhead local transport revolution

    01 Jun 2017, 00:00 A large share of the emissions from towns and cities comes from traffic. If Germany is to reach its Energiewende goals, each will have to do their bit to reduce the number of vehicles on their roads, and steer citizens towards greener ...
  • 18 Apr 2016

    Lignite sale advances / Secret iCar lab in Berlin

    18 Apr 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Kerstine Appunn Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv   Der Tagesspiegel “Czech investor wants to take over brown coal operations” A year and a half after Sweden's Vattenfall said it would sell its German lignite ...
  • 27 Sep 2021 |

    "Climate crisis as a top priority"- Reactions to German federal elections

    27 Sep 2021, 14:05 The Social Democrats (SPD) under chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz have narrowly won Germany's federal elections. According to preliminary final results, the SPD received 25.7 percent of votes, while the conservatives (CDU/CSU) ...
  • 28 Apr 2016 |

    Reactions to government decision on e-car subsidies

    28 Apr 2016, 00:00 The German government has decided to spend one billion euros to boost e-mobility, with the car industry contributing another 600 million euros. Starting in mid-May, buyers of pure e-cars will receive a premium of 4,000 euros, among ...
  • 06 May 2015

    In the media: Support for research, efficiency and e-cars

    06 May 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) New incentive programme for energy efficiency measures The Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) has announced a new support package to ...
  • 08 Jun 2015 |

    "We know that we need very deep cuts in global emissions"- Merkel

    08 Jun 2015, 00:00 G7 leaders made a commitment to limit global warming to 2 degrees at their meeting in southern Germany. In order to achieve this goal, the group of seven industrialised countries said they would push for a decarbonisation of the global ...
  • 23 Mar 2016 |

    Pressure on utilities to pay more for nuclear storage

    23 Mar 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Hydrogen Reuters Nuclear commission wants utilities to supplement clean-up provisions The commission on payments for the nuclear clean-up insists that nuclear power station ...
  • Citizens’ energy projects dominate first onshore wind power auction

    19 May 2017, 00:00 The dominance of citizens’ energy projects among the successful bids in Germany’s first onshore wind power auctions comes as a big surprise for industry observers. Not only did citizen cooperatives account for the bulk of accepted ...
  • Merkel, state premiers seek compromise on core Energiewende law

    31 May 2016, 00:00 [UPDATE with new details on 2025 renewable target in paragraph 3, ads News Digest items] German Chancellor Angela Merkel and state premiers will meet on Tuesday to work out a compromise on reforming the core piece of legislation behind ...
  • 13 Jan 2016

    'Inflated' grid fees / Report on 'successful' PV pilot auctions

    13 Jan 2016, 00:00 [Updates German industry association on energy policy] Kerstine Appunn Sven Egenter 91tv 91tv Federation of German Industries (BDI) German industry association warns against German “solo” in climate, energy policy The ...
  • 21 Sep 2021 |

    Two states with climate policy sway will also vote on Germany’s federal election day

    21 Sep 2021, 10:43 Regional votes in two German states on 26 September are being overshadowed by the federal election on the same day. But the outcome in German capital Berlin and in the north-eastern state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will affect how ...
  • 03 Feb 2021 |

    Germany's energy transition too slow to reach 2030 targets – govt advisor

    03 Feb 2021, 09:23 Germany won't reach its 2030 energy and climate targets at the current energy transition pace, a top government advisor has warned. A higher EU 2030 climate target means Germany will likely have to raise its national greenhouse gas ...
  • Will Germany's new transport minister surprise critics with clean mobility shift?

    03 Dec 2021, 11:39 Many environmentalists have already written off sharp transport emission cuts under the next German government after the coalition agreed a treaty that is weak on mobility, and put the pro-business Free Democrats in charge of the ...
  • 03 Dec 2015 |

    COP21 – Day 4: Slow progress, transport and the German COP slogan

    03 Dec 2015, 00:00 Day 4 at the UN climate conference: EU and G77 + China clash over differentiated responsibilities / A 2°C slogan translates into a 1.5°C target / Government compensation for CO2 emissions in transport Expert BMU- Federal Ministry for ...
  • 19 Dec 2014

    In the media: Linking Energiewende debates, modifying emissions trading, solar market comeback?

    19 Dec 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv taz “The blind spot has to go“ It is good and important that the future of coal power in Germany is finally being discussed, Patrick Graichen, head of the Berlin based think-tank Agora Energiewende ...
  • 13 Oct 2015

    In the media: FAZ- "EU says goodbye to binding climate goals"

    13 Oct 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv (Modifies headline to clearify sourcing)   Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung “The VW scandal calls Brussels into action” Even after the VW emissions cheating scandal, it appears the German government is trying to ...
  • Preview2019- Expect the German coal debate to continue, says Aurora ER

    10 Jan 2019, 09:15 The German coal exit commission is set to deliver its final recommendations for the country’s coal exit in February 2019, but this report is likely to be only the beginning of a long and controversial policymaking process in the country ...
  • 01 Apr 2020 |

    Germany marks first ever quarter with more than 50 pct renewable electricity

    01 Apr 2020, 15:11 Germany produced more than half of its electricity with renewable power in the first three months of 2020, the first full quarter in which renewables covered the majority of the country’s electricity needs. The numbers were driven by ...
  • 20 Jul 2015

    In the media: Coal reserve will cost ten billion euros more

    20 Jul 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv WirtschaftsWoche “Gabriel’s energy concept will cost Germany dearly” Energy minister Sigmar Gabriel has called his energy concept a “historic pact for new prosperity” but what he didn’t say was ...
  • 27 Aug 2019 |

    Leading from behind – Germany's government sparks green finance to drive climate policy

    27 Aug 2019, 16:42 Addressing climate change and the pros and cons of renewable power have dominated German public debate for almost two decades, but the role of the finance sector in emissions reduction has taken a back seat. Many countries have already ...
  • 12 Dec 2018 |

    COP24 blog- Germany's environment minister rejects hypocrisy criticism

    12 Dec 2018, 17:52 Germany is under scrutiny at the UN climate summit COP24 in Poland: the country will fail its 2020 climate target and only the next year will show if a push to phase-out coal-fired power production will result in an end date for the CO2 ...
  • 11 May 2017 |

    Last major German solar cell maker surrenders to Chinese competition

    11 May 2017, 00:00 Once the flagship of German solar energy, PV panel manufacturer SolarWorld has filed for insolvency, in what founder Frank Asbeck called a “bitter step for the German solar industry”. The company blamed plummeting prices caused by ...
  • Combustion engine ban splitting point in coalition talks on transport

    02 Nov 2017, 00:00 After an expected clash over climate and energy policy last week, Germany’s aspiring coalition partners of the conservative CDU/CSU alliance, the pro-business FDP and the environmentalist Green Party also failed to agree on transport ...
  • 09 Jun 2015

    In the media: "G7 leaders bid 'Auf Wiedersehen' to carbon fuels"

    09 Jun 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung “A new world economy” “Whoever thought international climate policy was a temporary phenomenon, like a heavy thunderstorm with dark clouds, should quickly rethink,” ...
  • 08 Apr 2015

    In the media: Renewable jobs; farming "more dirt than eco"

    08 Apr 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv  Handelsblatt “Communal utilities sound the alarm” Low electricity prices at the power exchange and the dominance of renewable energies mean many communal utilities are now unprofitable, according ...
  • 13 May 2015

    In the media: "Missed chance" at energy G7; No money left for nuclear clean-up?

    13 May 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv ARD tagesschau.de “The German energy transformation is impressive” Ernest Moniz, the United States Secretary of Energy, has praised Germany’s development of renewables but said the US were not ...
  • 14 Mar 2017 |

    Germany “stands by existing climate targets” – chancellery chief

    14 Mar 2017, 00:00 The Chief of the Federal Chancellery, Peter Altmaier, threw his weight behind Germany's self-imposed plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions, after calling national climate targets the "wrong path" last week. Germany will ...
  • Reactions to EU's Green Deal from Germany

    12 Dec 2019, 16:06 The European Union’s new executive has presented its highly anticipated Green Deal to tackle climate change. The policy package  commits the EU to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The 91tv presents reactions to the ...
  • 17 Oct 2018 |

    Disruption caused by energy transition is unstoppable- Amory Lovins

    17 Oct 2018, 14:44 The global energy transition is both accelerating and unstoppable, and will continue to disrupt many industries from carmaking to construction, according to green energy pioneer Amory Lovins. But the cofounder and Chief Scientist of the ...
  • 19 Sep 2018 |

    Germany launches task force to kickstart shift to sustainable mobility

    19 Sep 2018, 15:20 The German government has launched a new advisory panel to reduce transport emissions in line with national climate targets. The task force will broaden the focus of an earlier panel concentrated on electric cars, to discuss the entire ...
  • 02 Jan 2018 |

    Preview2018- Urgent need to reform renewables levy and grid fees-bne

    02 Jan 2018, 00:00 Germany enters 2018 without having found a new government, a situation that casts a cloud over all of the country’s major policy endeavours including those dealing with energy and climate. But irrespective of the unprecedented ...
  • 28 Oct 2015

    E-car batteries needed / Heating sector could save more CO2

    28 Oct 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv dpa “Workers’ representatives and politicians advocate German production of e-car batteries” Germany’s sole car battery producer, car manufacturer Daimler, will discontinue production this year, ...
  • 16 Sep 2020 |
    EU

    New EU climate target proposal concern for German industry and NGOs

    16 Sep 2020, 12:50 German industry, politicians and environmental NGOs have criticised first details of the European Commission proposal for a more ambitious 2030 climate target. Plans for more stringent passenger car emission rules and the inclusion of ...
  • Global Fridays for Future strike calls for climate action 2 days before German election

    24 Sep 2021, 13:13 Youth climate movement Fridays for Future called for a rapid transition to climate neutrality at its eighth global climate strike just two days before the German federal election. Protests took place in hundreds of German towns and ...
  • 13 Jul 2017 |

    German carbon tax most efficient way to meet climate goals-study

    13 Jul 2017, 00:00 Germany should implement a national tax on carbon emissions in order to meet its own emission reduction targets in the an efficient and straight forward way, the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) proposed based on a study by ...
  • 29 Jan 2019 |

    German wind industry worries about public resistance as installations slump

    29 Jan 2019, 15:02 Following a sharp drop in new onshore wind power installations in Germany in 2018, the industry warns that mounting resistance against new turbines endangers a sufficient supply of renewable energy demanded by industry and national ...
  • 24 Oct 2016 |

    Activists hope new climate unit signals transport ministry shift

    24 Oct 2016, 00:00 Plans for a new climate department in Germany’s transport ministry could signal the issue will receive greater policy attention after years of neglect by the ministry, according to activists. But they also warn a new department alone is ...
  • 11 Apr 2016

    Utilities increase nuclear provisions / A 'power market pentagon'

    11 Apr 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Kerstine Appunn Spiegel Online/AFP/Süddeutsche Zeitung “Utilities increase nuclear provisions” The utilities have increased their provisions for the nuclear exit in the last year, according to a report by press agency AFP ...
  • German cabinet approves renewables reform, but parliamentarians eye changes

    23 Sep 2020, 15:30 Germany's government has agreed on an overhaul of the country's Renewable Energy Act, the core legislation for its landmark energy transition, to enable a share of 65 percent renewables in 2030 power consumption and a ...
  • Fresh Green upset in Hesse state election may derail Merkel government

    26 Oct 2018, 10:47 As Germany’s federal government parties, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU camp and the Social Democrats (SPD), suffer from voter flight due to the coalition’s constant quarrels, the Green Party emerges as one of the big ...
  • Wrangling over German coal exit talks reveals difficult task ahead

    30 May 2018, 00:00 Germany struggles to get its highly anticipated coal exit task force on track. The government on Wednesday postponed at the last minute the official launch of the phase-out commission for the third time. The quarrels over the commission ...
  • 22 Feb 2016

    Industry softens Energiewende bashing / New support for PV storage

    22 Feb 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Die Welt Industry softens Energiewende-bashing At the latest meeting of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU party’s economic council (CDU Wirtschaftsrat), business leaders softened their ...
  • Climate high on Germany's G7 agenda, ambitious goals tough to agree- Merkel

    20 Apr 2015, 00:00 German chancellor wants to push for commitment for ambitious climate targets from G7 as climate activists call for strong leadership. Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv International Security Climate & CO2 Ambitious climate ...
  • 02 Apr 2019 |

    German government examines CO₂ price – media reports

    02 Apr 2019, 09:50 The German government is examining the possibility of CO₂ pricing across economic sectors, according to media reports. Several newspapers report the chancellery has asked leading German research institutes to explore socially acceptable ...
  • 25 Oct 2019 |

    Opposition lambasts climate plans as parliamentary process kicks off

    25 Oct 2019, 14:20 Opposition parties have strongly criticised the German government coalition’s climate policy package in a first parliamentary debate on key legislative elements, such as the planned major climate action law. The first reading in the ...
  • 23 Dec 2021 |

    New German govt enters 2022 with no time to lose in race for climate neutrality

    23 Dec 2021, 13:13 A new German government has started its work shortly before Christmas, kicking off its four-year term with a key promise to make the country ready for its ambitious bid to become climate neutral before the middle of the century. At a ...
  • 26 Jan 2015

    In the media: Tensions in Bavaria over energy policy

    26 Jan 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv Süddeutsche Online “Aigner under pressure” Writing for Süddeutsche Online, Frank Müller reports on tensions between Bavarian energy minister Ilse Aigner and state prime minister Horst Seehofer, as Aigner prepares ...
  • 03 Dec 2015 |

    COP21 Interview: Next innovation wave in economy will be “green"

    03 Dec 2015, 00:00 The final negotiations for a global climate treaty have kicked off in Paris. What is the German perspective on an international climate agreement and what has the energy transition (Energiewende) got to do with it? The 91tv ...
  • 06 Jun 2016

    Grid operator says 80% renewables no problem / Environment ministry turns 30

    06 Jun 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Tagesspiegel “80 percent renewables are not a problem” There is much more flexibility in the German power grid to cope with renewables development than currently needed, said Boris ...
  • 20 Nov 2017 |

    Germany reacts to collapse of coalition talks

    20 Nov 2017, 00:00 After almost five weeks of deliberations, the pro-business Free Democratic Party has pulled the plug on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s efforts to form a coalition government made up of her conservative CDU/CSU alliance, the Greens and the ...
  • 07 Nov 2014

    In the media: Coal debate continues, interview on fracking, study warns of energy shortages

    07 Nov 2014, 00:00 Spiegel Online “Protest against climate policy: Greenpeace dumps 8 tonnes of coal in front of Gabriel’s ministry” Enivronmental group Greenpeace dumped eight tonnes of lignite coal in front of the German Economics Ministry on Thursday, ...
  • 06 Nov 2014

    In the media: Energiewende awareness, coal exit and climate action plan

    06 Nov 2014, 00:00 91tv 91tv SolarServer “Survey: Energiewende little known in neighbouring countries, but support for goals” Public awareness of the Energiewende – or energy transition – among some of Germany’s immediate neighbours is low, ...
  • 03 Sep 2015

    In the media: Germany to block utilities' escape from nuclear clean-up costs

    03 Sep 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Die Zeit / Spiegel Online / Reuters Utilities must remain liable for nuclear clean-up costs Energy companies are to remain liable for the cost of decommissioning nuclear power plants and storing ...
  • 15 Aug 2019 |

    BMW's new CEO takes the helm at former EV pioneer 'searching for direction'

    15 Aug 2019, 10:58 In a bid to regain its damaged reputation as a future mobility leader, BMW will replace its CEO on Friday, when Harald Krüger will hand over the company's steering wheel to Oliver Zipse. But industry experts are uncertain whether ...
  • Minister promises stability for troubled German wind power sector

    16 Aug 2018, 16:59 While touring critical power grid projects in northern Germany, energy minister Peter Altmaier also faced a troubled wind industry that fears its golden years in the country are over. Under pressure from workers and local politicians, ...
  • 20 Jan 2016 |

    Environment minister says Germany needs plan to exit coal

    20 Jan 2016, 00:00 Germany needs a pathway for exiting coal by 2050 at the very latest, according to Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks. She welcomed Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel's announcement of a round table on the thorny issue, and said a ...
  • 25 Mar 2015

    In the media: Study- Germany must exit brown coal to achieve climate goals

    25 Mar 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Institute for Applied Ecology / Friends of the Earth Germany Exit from lignite possible by 2030 Germany’s national and regional climate goals imply that lignite mining will have to stop much ...
  • 25 May 2020 |

    Experts criticise proposed German coal exit law for deviating from commission compromise

    25 May 2020, 14:58 Experts have criticised the German government's draft coal exit law for deviating from the compromise found by the coal commission in early 2019. At a parliamentary committee hearing, representatives from industry, research ...
  • 21 Oct 2020 |

    Government aims to make Germany climate resilient as average temperature rises

    21 Oct 2020, 12:22 The average air temperature in Germany has risen by about 1.6°C from pre-industrial times and the effects of global warming are becoming increasingly felt in the central European country. The government’s progress report on its climate ...
  • 26 Mar 2015 |

    “The Energiewende is a big democratic project”

    26 Mar 2015, 00:00 Encouraged by federal legislation such as the Renewable Energy Act, the governments of many German states have worked hard to make the Energiewende a success, as well as a business opportunity for their citizens. Others have been slower ...
  • 20 Dec 2016 |

    German carbon emissions rise in 2016 despite coal use drop

    20 Dec 2016, 00:00 German energy-related CO₂ emissions rose almost 1 percent in 2016, despite a fall in coal use and the ongoing expansion of renewable energy sources, according to first estimates by energy market research group AG Energiebilanzen. A rise ...
  • 30 Dec 2014

    In the media: Germany emits less CO2, wind-boom in the North, possible coal-flop in Hamburg

    30 Dec 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Handelsblatt / Tagesspiegel / BMUB “Germany produces fewer carbon emissions” Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions are likely to have fallen by three percent in 2014, according to Environment Minister ...
  • 03 Dec 2014

    In the media: Electric cars, worries about E.ON's nuclear liabilities

    03 Dec 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Sven Egenter Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) / NPE “Extraordinary write-downs for electric cars demanded” The National Platform for Electromobility (NPE) suggested in a progress report that achieving scale in the ...
  • 03 May 2021 |

    Court ruling puts spotlight on climate as German election campaign picks up speed

    03 May 2021, 12:59 The landmark ruling from Germany’s top court has catapulted climate to the top of the political debate as government coalition partners shifted into election campaign mode, blamed each other for shortcomings of the country’s Climate ...
  • 16 Oct 2014

    Germany's energy transition in the media on 16 October

    16 Oct 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Öko-Institut Research on the Energiewende – inter-active map goes online A new online-platform brings together the output of 33 research projects funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research ...
  • 09 Jul 2015

    In the media: German minister- Coal exit by 2040 "realistic"

    09 Jul 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv Die Zeit “We have to exit within 25 or 30 years” German environment minister Barbara Hendricks expects coal to be phased out in Germany by 2045 at the very latest. “We have to exit the burning of coal step by step ...
  • 25 Mar 2019 |

    German transport minister pledges to avoid bans, price hikes ahead of commission’s final meeting

    25 Mar 2019, 14:51 After months of negotiations, the commission tasked with proposing measures to cut emissions from Germany’s transport sector has come together for its final meeting. So far, the task force has made headlines mainly for fierce dispute ...
  • Reactions to Germany's coalition agreement

    08 Feb 2018, 00:00 After weeks of intensive negotiations, Germany's would-be government partners have agreed on a coalition draft treaty. The 91tv presents first reactions to texts on transport, climate and energy. [UPDATE adds VDA, VDMA ...
  • 10 Dec 2015 |

    Pulling the plug on nuclear

    10 Dec 2015, 12:00 The question is no longer whether Germany’s future will be nuclear-free – or even when, since the government is committed to completing the phase-out by 2022. But the logistics of pulling the plug on what was until recently one of the ...
  • Energy and climate observers don’t share German government’s positive mid-term review

    06 Nov 2019, 14:38 Industry experts, researchers and lobbyists give the German government mediocre mid-term marks for its climate and energy efforts- while Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition has presented a largely positive self-evaluation. In what ...
  • 25 Feb 2015

    In the media: A brave new world of integrated energy

    25 Feb 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Handelsblatt “Brave new world” The single market for European energy that EU citizens have been waiting for for years, is now called the Energy Union, Thomas Ludwig writes in an opinion piece for ...
  • Preview 2022- What to watch in energy & climate in Germany and beyond

    20 Dec 2021, 10:55 The start of Germany's new government makes 2022 a crucial year for the country's landmark energy transition. All eyes are on the three-way coalition's first steps towards implementing its ambitious climate plans, which ...
  • 30 Mar 2022 |

    BETD22: Supporting energy transition in developing nations more urgent amid war

    30 Mar 2022, 15:54 Renewable energy sources are the answer to both the climate crisis and the energy crisis exacerbated by Russia’s war against Ukraine, said ministers at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue. Experts, politicians, business leaders and ...
  • 07 Oct 2015

    In the media: Greenpeace enters race for Vattenfall's coal operations

    07 Oct 2015, 00:00 Sven Egenter 91tv 91tv Bloomberg Business, Greenpeace, Süddeutsche Zeitung “Greenpeace says can find cash to buy Vattenfall coal assets” Bloomberg Business reports that Greenpeace has registered its interest in buying ...
  • 'We can accomplish this'- Fridays for Future pin hopes on EU elections

    22 May 2019, 16:37 Ahead of the European Elections from the 23rd – 26th of May, organisers of the German Fridays for Futures see the election as a last chance to put climate at the top of the European Parliament’s agenda. “This election will have a ...
  • 05 Nov 2014

    In the media: Climate action plan, industry concerns and power lines

    05 Nov 2014, 00:00 91tv 91tv Die Welt Steel industry says its concerns over energy policy go unheard Various voices from the steel industry raise concerns about the Energiewende in an article in Die Welt. Industry representatives are ...
  • 21 Dec 2018 |

    Preview2019- Conditions for Energiewende success all set, says dena

    21 Dec 2018, 09:32 Ambitious climate action and a resolute energy transition are already possible in Germany but the country's government has yet to prove how serious it is about putting words into action, says Andreas Kuhlmann, the head of the ...
  • 23 Oct 2014

    Germany’s energy transition in the media on 23 Oct 2014

    23 Oct 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Süddeutsche Zeitung “Energy policy: backwards roll” It is not just Germany undertaking an energy transition, writes Cerstin Gammelin in an opinion piece for the Süddeutsche Zeitung, other European ...
  • 18 Dec 2019 |

    Drop in coal use pushes Germany closer to 2020 climate target

    18 Dec 2019, 14:05 Germany has seen a second year of significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, as coal use fell by more than 20 percent and energy production from renewables increased, preliminary calculations by energy research group AG ...
  • 23 Dec 2015

    'Two giants turn into four gnomes' / A forgotten revolution

    23 Dec 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv 'Frohe Weihnachten' from the 91tv newsroom Our best wishes for a joyous holiday season. We will publish our next News Digest on 28 December and take another short break from ...
  • 20 Dec 2016 |

    Preview2017- "Turn Energiewende into an advantage for industry"

    20 Dec 2016, 00:00 2017 will be a year filled with a multitude of seminal events for Germany's energy and climate policy. Apart from presiding over the next G20 summit, Germany will be the venue for the UN's COP23 and see legal reforms of ...
  • 16 Dec 2016 |

    Preview2017- "I don’t think the momentum can be reversed"

    16 Dec 2016, 00:00 2017 will be a year filled with a multitude of seminal events for Germany's energy and climate policy. Apart from presiding over the next G20 summit, Germany will be the venue for the UN's COP23 and see legal reforms of ...
  • 21 Apr 2021 |

    Conservatives choose Laschet as chancellor candidate, signalling post-Merkel continuity

    21 Apr 2021, 12:37 Germany’s conservatives have chosen Armin Laschet as their leading candidate for the national election in September, signalling continuity with the era of Chancellor Angela Merkel and ending a days-long power struggle with top rival ...
  • 23 Oct 2015

    Bavaria's energy concept / A record-breaking fuel cell

    23 Oct 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Süddeutsche Zeitung “An energy concept that electrifies no one” Bavaria will have to import 40-50 percent of its consumed electricity in 2025, Daniela Kuhr writes in the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The ...
  • 20 Oct 2015

    In the media: Expensive export power; EnBW bets on gas

    20 Oct 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Fraunhofer ISE “Exported power more expensive than imported power” Germany makes billions of euros from exporting power every year, researchers at the Fraunhofer ISE found. The country made 1.7 ...
  • Germany's "Man-to-the-Moon"-project: Quotes from Energiewende conference

    27 Mar 2015, 00:00 UPDATE-- Over 900 ministers, officials, business people, energy experts and journalists from around 60 countries take part in the first Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, a two-day confernce hosted by the German Foreign Ministry, the ...
  • 30 May 2016

    EU threat to split German power market-report/ VW strategy for e-cars

    30 May 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Die Welt “EU wants to split Germany into two power price zones” The European Commission “is threatening to split [Germany] into two power price zones,” which would make power more ...
  • 04 Oct 2018 |

    Germany’s 'huge step' to solve diesel crisis leaves NGOs unconvinced

    04 Oct 2018, 17:11 Germany’s government has decided to reduce emissions from diesel cars in polluted cities by swapping old models for new ones and retrofitting some older cars. Transport minister Andreas Scheuer and environment minister Svenja Schulze ...
  • 26 Sep 2018 |

    Euro 2024 may force German football to get serious on climate- expert

    26 Sep 2018, 13:53 The German Football Association (DFB) has included a sustainability concept in its bid to host the 2024 European Football Championship. While the plan lacks concrete goals for action, awarding the tournament to Germany could obligate ...
  • 11 May 2015 |

    Can Germany’s energy giants change their DNA?

    11 May 2015, 00:00 Large utilities are being forced to take radical steps to reshape their business models to fit the new energy landscape. But experts say it remains to be seen if they can innovate their way out of the crisis. Expert BDEW-German ...
  • 08 Jan 2015

    No room for Energiewende complacency despite 2014 CO2-drop

    08 Jan 2015, 00:00 Proving Energiewende critics wrong or only a minor step in the right direction? Recent data indicated that Germany has started substituting power from hard coal with renewable electricity while lower power consumption has contributed to ...
  • 27 Jul 2015

    In the media: Wind and solar on the rise

    27 Jul 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) “Wind power blasts the limit” Onshore wind power development will exceed government targets, reports the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Provisions in the 2014 ...
  • 07 Jul 2015

    In the media: Environmentalists oppose environmentalists on wind power

    07 Jul 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv Süddeutsche Zeitung “Headwind” The rapid increase in the number of wind turbines is leading to rising resistance in many rural areas in Germany’s north, reports Süddeutsche Zeitung in a full-page report on the ...
  • 17 Sep 2021 |

    Climate dominates Germany’s most unpredictable election in decades

    17 Sep 2021, 10:05 Never before in German history has climate policy played a role as big as it does in 2021. Even after one and a half years of a turbulent pandemic, credible climate policies remain the yardstick many voters plan to base their decision ...
  • Renewables squeeze wholesale power prices and boost electricity exports

    06 May 2015, 00:00 The growing share of renewables forced German wholesale electricity prices down to among the lowest in Europe last year, according to a study by grid operator TenneT. And government figures indicate that consumers are benefitting too, ...
  • 13 Dec 2018 |

    COP24 blog: Rulebook's technical details are sticking point- German negotiator

    13 Dec 2018, 17:40 Germany is under scrutiny at the UN climate summit COP24 in Poland: the country will fail its 2020 climate target and only the next year will show if a push to phase-out coal-fired power production will result in an end date for the CO2 ...
  • 02 Apr 2015

    In the media: Germany's top polluters; fracking angst

    02 Apr 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Handelsblatt Fracking law: “German Angst” There is no rational explanation for the resistance against fracking among German parliamentarians, Thomas Sigmund writes in an opinion piece for the ...
  • 20 Oct 2021 |

    “I wouldn't play avoiding and removing emissions off against each other” – atmosfair CEO

    20 Oct 2021, 10:40 From large car manufacturers to globally operating logistics companies – the number of businesses pursuing net-zero targets and wanting to reduce their carbon footprint is growing. As many of the companies cannot or do not want to ...
  • 03 Feb 2021 |

    Germany must urgently adapt energy targets to new EU climate goals – experts

    03 Feb 2021, 13:12 Germany must rapidly step up its national climate and energy targets to bring efforts in line with new EU-wide goals, said the independent expert commission in charge of monitoring the country’s energy transition. While details still ...
  • 08 Apr 2016 |

    Czech utility set to buy Vattenfall’s lignite assets in eastern Germany- Reuters

    08 Apr 2016, 00:00 In Czech company EPH, Vattenfall might have found a buyer for its lignite coal mines and power stations in Lusatia. But as the companies involved refuse to comment, environmentalists warn that coal has no future in a country that wants ...
  • 15 May 2020 |
    Gas

    Unravelling the climate footprint of U.S. liquefied natural gas

    15 May 2020, 16:34 The U.S. administration is aggressively promoting the country’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) to European partners, portraying it both as a supply that would help them diversify away from Russian gas and as a way to reduce greenhouse gas ...
  • 29 Sep 2021 |

    What are the climate and energy plans of German election winner Scholz?

    29 Sep 2021, 13:42 Olaf Scholz has led Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) to an unexpected win in the country's 2021 elections. The finance minister of chancellor Angela Merkel's outgoing government has led a campaign based on continuity with ...
  • 09 Jan 2015

    In the media: Renewables superlatives, EU policy, heating and e-cars

    09 Jan 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) "A year full of superlatives for ecologic power" German consumers paid almost 23 billion euros for renewable electricity in 2014, the FAZ writes, ...
  • 23 Dec 2014

    In the media: Power jam in the north, mini-power station pilots, new ideas for luring e-car buyers

    23 Dec 2014, 00:00 91tv 91tv shz.de “Traffic jam for power network in Schleswig Holstein” Because the southern flank of power lines that are planned to carry electricity from Northern Germany to Bavaria in the south will not be completed for ...
  • 26 Nov 2014

    In the media: power market design, cost of coal, windpower and tourism

    26 Nov 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv FAZ/dpa “Coal sector resists Gabriel’s plans” Germany’s energy sector believes it has already done plenty to increase efficiency and reach climate protection targets, according to the German ...
  • 25 Feb 2019 |

    Germany's government coalition divided over draft Climate Action Law

    25 Feb 2019, 14:17 The first draft of Germany’s Climate Action Law, presented last week, has laid bare conflicting views within the German coalition government over how the country should meet its climate targets. The proposal has drawn criticism from ...
  • 08 Feb 2016

    Mercury limits 'could end coal' / A fund for nuclear waste?

    08 Feb 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Der Tagesspiegel “Government could use mercury limits to take coal plants offline” The government “has a plan B up its sleeve" in case there is no political agreement on a coal exit, reports ...
  • 19 Nov 2014

    In the media: Study on shutting down coal, more flexible lignite and chemicals industry

    19 Nov 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv German Institute for Economic Research “Shutting down old coal-fired power stations could reduce CO2 emissions by up to 23 million tones and stabilise the power market” A new study by the German ...
  • 29 Jan 2016 |

    Call for fair treatment of storage / Citizens important for energy transition success

    29 Jan 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Hydrogen Energy associations Call for fair competition conditions for power storage facilities Energy business associations BDEW, BEE, BNE, BVES, VDMA and VKU have called on the parliamentary ...
  • 14 Nov 2014 |

    In the media: Energiewende approval index, Lignite sector, links to French grid

    14 Nov 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Hydrogen   Ernst & Young “Cautious upward trend: Approval of the Energiewende rises slightly” Business approval for Germany’s energy is gradually rising, according to Ernst & Young’s quarterly Energiewende Index ...
  • German minister plays down US threats over Nord Stream 2

    22 Jan 2019, 13:15 The German government is playing down US threats against companies involved in the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project connecting Germany to Russia. Energy minister Peter Altmaier said the government was “not impressed” by ...
  • 02 Aug 2017

    "Win for car industry"- First reactions to German diesel summit

    02 Aug 2017, 00:00 German carmakers have pledged to update the software in some 5 million diesel cars to lower emissions at the so-called "diesel summit", where leaders of the industry met with federal ministers and heads of federal states. ...
  • 31 Aug 2021 |

    German election primer – 2038 end date for coal under fire as climate forecasts worsen

    31 Aug 2021, 08:44 Tighter emission targets and mounting signs of climate change have once again turned Germany's coal exit into a hotly debated election campaign issue. The country agreed last year to phase out coal by 2038 at the latest, but many ...
  • 29 Apr 2021 |

    Landmark ruling from German top court: key climate legislation falls short

    29 Apr 2021, 14:43 In an unexpected decision widely hailed as historic, Germany's highest court has ruled that the government's climate legislation is insufficient, lacking detail on emission reduction targets beyond 2030. The decision ...
  • War in Ukraine: Tracking the impacts on German energy and climate policy

    24 Feb 2023, 11:00 One year after Russia started its devastating war on Ukraine, the energy policy landscape of Germany and most of Europe has changed radically. European states to a large extent lowered or even completely cut their reliance on Russian ...
  • Stimulus debates add fresh drive as energy transition efforts restart after coronavirus break

    20 May 2020, 13:50 Months of dispute within the government coalition and the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic have significantly slowed down progress on a number of important German energy transition projects. The coal exit law has yet to be adopted by ...
  • Renewables cover about 100% of German power use for first time ever

    05 Jan 2018, 00:00 Germany has crossed a symbolic milestone in its energy transition by briefly covering around 100 percent of electricity use with renewables for the first time ever on 1 January. In the whole of last year, the world’s fourth largest ...
  • 11 Apr 2019 |

    Germany considers CO2 price to reach climate targets- Merkel

    11 Apr 2019, 14:13 The German government is exploring the introduction of a CO2 price to get the country back on track to reach its ambitious targets for emission cuts. In a turning point in the government's approach to CO2 reduction, Chancellor ...
  • 27 Aug 2015

    In the media: Subsidies for heating systems; wind turbines and tourism

    27 Aug 2015, 00:00 Clarifies that the whole article in the Frankfurter Rundschau is written by Jörg Staude. Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Ministry of Finance / FÖS Government subsidies seen rising Subsidies and tax concessions will increase to 22 ...
  • 23 Dec 2016 |

    Preview2017 – Elections, G20 set to dominate Energiewende policy

    23 Dec 2016, 00:00 Germany is heading into a year filled with international top-events and elections that will determine the future course of the country’s Energiewende project. The uncertainties about the new US administration and the exact details of ...
  • 01 Oct 2019 |

    Lignite company RWE pledges to become carbon neutral by 2040

    01 Oct 2019, 10:00 Europe's largest CO2 emitter RWE has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2040. The announcement underlines the deep transformation underway at the German operator of lignite mines and power plants, which is now betting on ...
  • 08 Nov 2017 |

    EU car emission limits too weak for German climate targets- experts

    08 Nov 2017, 00:00 Following intense lobbying by German carmakers, the EU has proposed car emission targets that will be insufficient to meet the country’s climate targets in the transport sector, according to environmental organisations. Critics said the ...
  • 27 May 2021 |

    For German youth activists, climate justice means more than getting to net-zero

    27 May 2021, 14:00 As climate protection has become a mainstream issue in German politics, taking up centre-stage in the election programmes of most parties, youth climate activists are broadening the scope of their activism. The Fridays for Future school ...
  • 07 Mar 2017

    State Sec sees efficient sector-coupling gaining ground post-election

    07 Mar 2017, 00:00 Regardless of who will win in Germany's next federal elections, increasing energy effciency in sector coupling and mastering digitalisation will be core aspects for ensuring a successful continuation of the energy transition, says ...
  • 07 May 2015 |

    Mixed reactions to EU agreement on Market Stability Reserve

    07 May 2015, 00:00 Superfluous emission allowances will be put into a market stability reserve from 2019 onwards, EU institutions agreed. The German government’s core demands have been included in the reform. But the chemicals industry fears for its ...
  • 06 May 2016

    Climate Action Plan draft backs ecological tax reform, carbon price floor

    06 May 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung “Everything for the global climate” A leaked draft of the Climate Action Plan 2050 shows the path the German environment ministry wants to take to carbon neutrality ...
  • 01 Jul 2017 |

    “Merkel has to play her cards right at the G20 summit in Hamburg”

    01 Jul 2017, 00:00 German Chancellor Angela Merkel can still hope to achieve substantial progress in climate protection as she enters difficult talks with the leaders of the world’s largest economies at this week’s G20 summit in Hamburg, John J. Kirton ...
  • “Time is running out”- Struggle over future of brown coal in Germany heats up

    25 Mar 2015, 00:00 The protests against government proposals for a carbon emissions levy for older power plants are gaining momentum in Germany’s coal mining regions. Unions warn the plans put tens of thousands of jobs at risk because they will make ...
  • 19 Mar 2015

    In the media: No more free coal for miners

    19 Mar 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Bloomberg “RWE said to consider 10 percent stake sale to Abu Dhabi investors” Germany’s second largest utility RWE, grappling with rising debt, is considering selling a ten percent stake to ...
  • Blog: Energy firms discuss their role in key year for German energy transition

    22 Jan 2019, 12:46 The top brass from energy companies, regulators, ministries and political parties gather in Berlin to discuss the challenges of the energy transition at the Handelsblatt energy conference, the traditional annual kick-off for the sector. ...
  • 29 Jan 2020 |

    German govt adopts coal exit, fixes hard coal compensation

    29 Jan 2020, 14:32 The German government has officially approved the end of coal-fired power production in Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet adopted a law detailing plant shutdowns and compensation payments for coal companies, confirming a ...
  • 02 Feb 2015 |

    “If people participate with their own money in a wind or solar power plant in their area, they will also support it”

    02 Feb 2015, 00:00 Germany’s population has great sympathy for the transition to a low-carbon economy and the nuclear phase-out, also known as the Energiewende. Nevertheless, some of the key projects, such as new infrastructure, face resistance and are ...
  • 04 Feb 2016

    E-car support without subsidies / Nuclear energy as an option

    04 Feb 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Sven Egenter 91tv 91tv Süddeutsche Zeitung Decision on e-car support postponed The German government has postponed the decision about how to boost e-cars until March after a high-level meeting with ...
  • 01 Dec 2016 |

    IEA director calls on Germany to lead on climate during G20 presidency

    01 Dec 2016, 00:00 Calls for Germany to take on a leadership role in international climate protection grow louder as the country’s government is set to take over the G20 presidency from China on 1 December. Commentators and politicians see the ...
  • 03 Nov 2017 |

    COP23- 'Bonn talks will be about the heart of the Paris Agreement'

    03 Nov 2017, 00:00 Negotiations at the upcoming climate conference in Bonn are about “the heart of the Paris Agreement”, because the delegations will shape the transparency rules on how states measure and report their progress in climate mitigation, says ...
  • 26 Aug 2021 |

    Next German govt must put CO2 pricing centre stage of “more European” climate policy – advisor

    26 Aug 2021, 10:15 International partners can be assured that Germany’s next government coalition after the September election will not veer far off course of the country’s current climate and energy policy, says government advisor and director of two ...
  • 24 Nov 2015 |

    COP21 Interview: We must err on the side of caution

    24 Nov 2015, 00:00 The final negotiations for a global climate treaty in Paris are just days away. What is the German perspective on an international climate agreement and what has the energy transition (Energiewende) got to do with it? The Clean Energy ...
  • 09 Nov 2020 |

    Europeans express relief, hope for climate cooperation after Biden win

    09 Nov 2020, 14:57 European leaders, researchers and media commentators breathed a collective sigh of relief following Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential elections and expressed hope for a new partnership on combating climate change. The news ...
  • German election primer – Parties split on raising national CO2 price

    13 Aug 2021, 13:15 Many economists and climate researchers view raising the national carbon price on transport and heating fuels faster than currently planned as essential to reaching new, higher climate targets in both sectors. The debate about a ...
  • Govt energy transition commission calls for CO2 price, mobility action

    01 Nov 2017, 00:00 Germany is likely to miss several of its energy transition goals by 2020, including greenhouse gas and energy consumption reduction, writes an expert commission tasked with monitoring the progress of the German Energiewende in a short ...
  • German environment minister open to national carbon price

    23 Apr 2018, 00:00 Germany’s new environment minister, Svenja Schulze, has indicated support for a national price on carbon emissions. The Social Democrat said in an interview the idea that Germany improves its emissions reduction by putting a price tag ...
  • 29 Dec 2015 |

    Loops and cracks: Excess German power strains Europe’s grids

    29 Dec 2015, 00:00 Europe’s power grids are supposed to become increasingly integrated – but right now the opposite seems to be happening. Germany’s eastern neighbours complain that the country’s renewable power production is putting a strain on their ...
  • 22 Jun 2016

    Germany gets fracking law / Daimler plans energy transition- report

    22 Jun 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Kerstine Appunn Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Spiegel Online “Coalition wants to push through fracking law on Friday” The government has scheduled  the Bundestag vote on a law restricting fracking in Germany for ...
  • 15 Jan 2018 |

    Reactions to climate & energy policy in parties' coalition blueprint

    15 Jan 2018, 00:00 The parties currently in talks to form Germany’s next government have agreed to speed up the roll-out of renewable energies and start the phase-out of coal-fired power generation. Contrary to a draft leaked earlier this week, the ...
  • 15 Jun 2015

    In the media: Costly e-cars; A coal reserve with a climate impact?

    15 Jun 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung “Merkel’s expensive targets” “Climate chancellor” Angela Merkel’s promise to put 1 million e-cars on German roads by 2020 might cost taxpayers dearly, writes Holger ...
  • 08 May 2015

    In the media: "risk, endurance, determination" for new energy world

    08 May 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Handelsblatt “Risk, endurance and determination” Steve Westly of the Westly Group, which has invested in numerous clean-tech firms including Tesla, says he would buy shares in the new E.ON “every ...
  • 14 Nov 2021 |

    COP26- Glasgow Climate Pact decided in overtime with weakened coal pledge

    14 Nov 2021, 12:40 A Glasgow Climate Pact, including the notion that climate action needs to be accelerated within this decade to keep global temperature from rising more than 1.5°C as well as a historic reference to the phase-out of climate damaging ...
  • 02 Aug 2017 |

    German carmakers pledge diesel software updates and buyer’s bonus

    02 Aug 2017, 00:00 German carmakers VW, Daimler and BMW – under pressure to act after the diesel emissions scandal – pledged to install emissions control software updates in about 5 million diesel passenger cars, offer buyer’s premiums for customers ...
  • 18 Mar 2016 |

    "Mammoth" energy transition key to German climate efforts- minister

    18 Mar 2016, 00:00 Renewable energy sources already play a key role in keeping Germany's carbon emissions in check, the country's environment minster told an international conference on Friday in Berlin. However, completing the energy transition ...
  • Renewables hit record as concerns over German govt quarrels grow

    02 Jul 2018, 15:13 The production of renewable energy in Germany dashes to a new record output, providing more than 40 percent of the country's power supply in the first half of 2018. Yet, the good news for proponents of Germany's trademark ...
  • 20 May 2020 |

    Pandemic turns rush hour into public transport's “ultimate problem” – mobility researcher

    20 May 2020, 12:30 Implementing social distancing in trams, buses and underground trains at peak times creates massive problems for urban public transport, says Barbara Lenz, who heads the Institute of Transport Research at the German Aerospace Centre DLR ...
  • 23 Nov 2016 |

    Businesses should make proposals to reach climate goals- govt official

    23 Nov 2016, 00:00 Germany’s industry should work with the government to reach the goals in the country’s newly adopted Climate Action Plan 2050 rather than criticise the plan or individual measures, energy state secretary Rainer Baake told a conference ...
  • 16 Mar 2021 |

    Germany sees record greenhouse gas emission fall due to pandemic, renewables

    16 Mar 2021, 12:00 Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped nearly nine percent in 2020- the largest annual fall since 1990- as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic pushed down the use of fossil fuels and added to the effects of the shift to renewable ...
  • 24 Feb 2015 |

    Reactions to European Parliament committee vote on ETS reform

    24 Feb 2015, 00:00 A vote in the European Parliament on the reform of the EU's emissions trading system has prompted applause by some and disappointment from others. The 91tv has compiled some of the reactions out of Germany to the ...
  • 10 Apr 2019 |

    Blog: Germany pushes for joint global energy transition

    10 Apr 2019, 13:44 German ministers, high-level policymakers, as well as representatives from industry, science and civil society gather at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue on 9-10 April 2019 to discuss the progress of a global energy transition. ...
  • 29 May 2020 |

    Corona crisis shakes up shift to sustainable urban mobility

    29 May 2020, 10:31 The corona pandemic has upended the transition to sustainable urban mobility around the world. While the fear of infection has put people off public transport and vehicle sharing schemes, it has boosted private cars, cycling and walking ...
  • 30 Jul 2019 |

    Bavarian Merkel ally says climate action belongs in German Basic Law- media

    30 Jul 2019, 10:30 Markus Söder, Bavaria’s conservative state premier, has called for climate action to be enshrined in Germany’s Basic Law, according to German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. Söder has thus embraced a long-standing demand by the Green Party, ...
  • 05 Sep 2019 |

    Germany's finance industry struggles to marry climate action and business strategy

    05 Sep 2019, 12:00 Banks, insurers and investment funds in Germany look back at nearly two decades of energy transition – but many of the biggest actors still struggle to embrace its potential as a core business area. While most are well aware of the ...
  • 01 Dec 2014

    In the media: E.ON spins off fossil power, energy minister on coal, fracking and German angst

    01 Dec 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv E.ON / Bloomberg / Reuters “EON Banks on Renewables in Split From Conventional Power” Germany’s biggest utility, E.ON, announced that it is to split in two, spinning off its coal, gas and nuclear ...
  • 12 Nov 2015

    RWE reports profit drop / Which target date for 100% renewables?

    12 Nov 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv Reuters/RWE RWE says it will ‘only just’ meet 2015 earnings forecast German utility RWE on Thursday said it would just manage to meet its 1.1-1.3 billion-euro adjusted net income forecast for 2015, after a 29 ...
  • 16 Dec 2019 |

    COP25 blog- Germany says worst has been avoided in Madrid, urges UN summit must change

    16 Dec 2019, 12:00 The UN climate summit COP25 in Spain is the last meeting of its kind before countries around the world are supposed to step up their ambitions under the Paris Climate Agreement in 2020. Germany has made several key climate action ...
  • CDU & Greens' energy politicians clash over Germany's coal exit speed

    10 Oct 2017, 00:00 One week before the start of exploratory talks on forming a government coalition, aspiring German government alliance partners CDU and the Green Party agree that the country will have to phase out coal-fired power production. Yet, two ...
  • 07 Oct 2015 |

    COP21 Interview: EU must speak with one voice

    07 Oct 2015, 00:00 The final negotiations about a global climate treaty in Paris are just weeks away. What is the German perspective on an international climate agreement and what has the energy transition (Energiewende) got to do with it? The Clean ...
  • 08 Sep 2015

    In the media: Nuclear phase-out raises security concerns

    08 Sep 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Frankfurter Rundschau Nuclear decommissioning: Environmental activists worried about security An alliance of 76 environmental groups is demanding stricter security standards and more public ...
  • 07 Sep 2015

    In the media: Germans largely in favour of renewables

    07 Sep 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Renewable Energies Agency (AEE) “German people want more renewable energies” People in Germany are still very much in favour of the Energiewende, a representative survey by TNS Emnid shows. Phasing ...
  • 21 Jun 2016

    Climate Action Plan 2050 delayed / 'VW is more than diesel'

    21 Jun 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Ministry for the Environment (BMUB) Climate Action Plan 2050 delayed The Climate Action Plan 2050 that is to describe a pathway and policy measures for Germany to cut its ...
  • 17 Jun 2016

    GHG-neutral transport by 2050 / EU Commission approves e-car subsidy

    17 Jun 2016, 00:00 Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Federal Environment Agency “Climate protection contributions of the transport sector by 2050” Germany's transport sector will need to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by about 98 percent to ...
  • 30 Jul 2015

    In the media: Breather for wind industry; renewables help EnBW

    30 Jul 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Sven Egenter 91tv 91tv German Wind Energy Association (BWE) / German Engineering Association (VDMA) “Breather for the German wind industry” Onshore wind power development in Germany decreased by 34 percent ...
  • German reactions to US decision to withdraw from Paris Agreement

    02 Jun 2017, 00:00 President Donald Trump has announced that he will pull the United States out of the landmark Paris Climate Agreement. The USA will be the first country to leave the seminal 2015 treaty signed by nearly 200 individual nations that agreed ...
  • 06 Jul 2015

    In the media: RWE CEO to shift gears on restructuring

    06 Jul 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv Handelsblatt Global Edition “Power provider’s new playbook” German utility RWE is planning a major reorganisation  in response to the rising tide of renewable energies in the German power market, much like  rival ...
  • 12 Jan 2018 |

    German party leaders agree energy policy blueprint for coalition talks

    12 Jan 2018, 00:00 The parties currently in talks to form Germany’s next government have agreed to speed up the roll-out of renewable energies and start the phase-out of coal-fired power generation. Contrary to a draft leaked earlier this week, the ...
  • 06 Jun 2015

    In the media: G7, coal, fracking and a call to end fossil fuels

    06 Jun 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Sven Egenter 91tv 91tv Oxfam / E3G “Let them eat coal” Five of the G7 countries are burning more coal now than before the Copenhagen climate change conference in 2009, while the G7 coal plants together emit ...
  • 07 Apr 2016

    Government rejects national CO2 price floor / A new renewable research network

    07 Apr 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Bundestag Federal government rejects national CO₂ price floor The federal government continues to have reservations over a national price floor for carbon allowances, according to ...
  • 04 Apr 2016

    Lignite plants still lead top polluters / Mercury poisons fish

    04 Apr 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Julian Wettengel Sandbag “Top 10 European polluters still dominated by German lignite” “Four out of five of the biggest polluters in Europe are still German lignite plants,” reports UK-based sandbag. The not-for-profit ...
  • 21 May 2015

    In the media: No get-together on coal; A little less fracking

    21 May 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung “Coalition doesn’t get together in coal politics” A meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and energy minister Sigmar Gabriel on the additional levy on old coal ...
  • 07 Dec 2016 |

    Merkel shuns energy, climate at party conference focused on security, migration

    07 Dec 2016, 00:00 Chancellor Angela Merkel and her party left energy and climate policy on the sidelines at the Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) conference in Essen. The centre-right party laid the groundwork on Tuesday for its 2017 federal election ...
  • 22 Jan 2020 |

    Former coal commission members say German government breached landmark exit compromise

    22 Jan 2020, 11:28 The German coal exit commission 's compromise reached in early 2019 was hailed as a breakthrough for cooperation between industry representatives, policymakers and environmental groups, as it outlined how to phase-out the fossil ...
  • 08 Mar 2016

    RWE posts net loss / Nuclear in focus ahead of Fukushima anniversary

    08 Mar 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv RWE/Bloomberg RWE posts second net loss in two years Germany’s biggest power producer RWE posted its second net loss in three years, reports Tino Andresen for Bloomberg. The group’s net loss ...
  • 14 Nov 2016 |

    German Greens to make coal exit, fossil car ban an election focus

    14 Nov 2016, 00:00 Banning combustion engines in new cars by 2030 and exiting coal-fired power production as early as 2025 are likely to be two key Green Party demands in the general elections in autumn 2017, the party decided at its convention. But ...
  • 27 Sep 2021 |

    Tracking climate and energy in Germany's election year

    27 Sep 2021, 15:30 Germany is set to vote for a new government on 26 September. After 16 years at the helm of Europe's largest economy, Chancellor Angela Merkel will make room for a successor who will shape the country's energy and climate ...
  • 11 Dec 2020 |
    EU

    EU leaders agree to raise 2030 climate target- German reactions

    11 Dec 2020, 14:14 German politicians have welcomed the EU leaders’ decision to increase the bloc’s 2030 climate target as an important decision that puts the Union on a credible path towards climate neutrality by 2050 and means the bloc is once again one ...
  • 26 Oct 2016 |

    Deep divisions persist over German climate plan, coal exit

    26 Oct 2016, 00:00 The rifts over the German Climate Action Plan 2050 and an exit from coal-fired power generation were highlighted at a string of events on Wednesday. Federal and regional environment ministry officials stressed the need for a framework ...
  • 09 Mar 2015

    In the media: German insurers keen to invest in renewables

    09 Mar 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv German Insurance Association (GDV) Insurers keen to increase investments in renewable energy German insurers want to pour more money into renewables to profit from the reliable income streams they ...
  • 14 Aug 2018 |

    New “Power Grid Action Plan” to accelerate network development

    14 Aug 2018, 14:31 Technical fixes, better communication and smoother planning procedures are to accelerate Germany’s grid expansion, the energy minister has proposed in a new plan. Heading off on a visit to contested power line building sites in western ...
  • 05 May 2017 |

    Wind power course at stake in election in "cradle of Energiewende"

    05 May 2017, 00:00 Nicknamed the “cradle of the Energiewende” by its own government, Germany’s northernmost state, Schleswig-Holstein, embodies some of the most pressing challenges and solutions to the country’s energy turnaround. With their decision in ...
  • 11 Feb 2015 |

    German grid regulator cuts lignite in its planning scenarios

    11 Feb 2015, 00:00 Analysts have welcomed a new planning framework for the German grid that works on the basis of less lignite being burned in Germany, saying grid development must serve the country’s climate targets. Expert DIW- German Institute for ...
  • 23 Sep 2019 |

    Reactions to government agreement on climate strategy, CO2 pricing

    23 Sep 2019, 09:41 The German government coalition has reached an agreement on the country's climate action strategy, including a pricing system for carbon emissions in all major sectors. The 91tv presents reactions to the deal. Sören ...
  • 16 Dec 2015

    Wind power gets cheaper / Electricity consumption up

    16 Dec 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv VDMA / BWE Costs for wind power reduced Power from wind turbines in 2016/2017 will be 12 percent cheaper than in 2012/2013, according to a study commissioned by the German Engineering Federation ...
  • 13 Jan 2015

    In the media: Wind power record stresses the grid; utilities invest in renewables

    13 Jan 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Die Welt/Süddeutsche Zeitung “’Elon’ und ‘Felix’ cost consumers millions”/ “Stormy times on the power market” Heavy winds from two low pressure systems created an enormous oversupply of wind power ...
  • 02 Dec 2015

    RWE split “perhaps too late” / Refugees affect German CO2 emissions

    02 Dec 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv Süddeutsche Zeitung “Late, perhaps too late” RWE’s plans are radical and effectively split Germany’s second largest utility in two, writes Caspar Busse in a commentary for Süddeutsche Zeitung. “The decision is ...
  • 08 Sep 2021 |

    Left Party rejects CO2 price for transport and heating as it aims for climate neutrality by 2035

    08 Sep 2021, 12:30 The Left Party would enter negotiations to form Germany’s next government with a demand to abolish the recently introduced carbon price on transport and heating fuels, according to MP Lorenz Gösta Beutin, a climate and energy expert ...
  • 06 Mar 2020 |
    Gas

    EU should pressure US over gas production’s climate impact – former US energy official

    06 Mar 2020, 17:00 High methane emissions could unseat natural gas as the lowest-carbon fossil fuel, and the  EU needs to exert pressure on the US to get a grip on the issue, says Samantha Gross, fellow in the Cross-Brookings Initiative on Energy and ...
  • 31 May 2016 |

    'Lobby battle' ahead of Energiewende summit / Local utilities struggle

    31 May 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Kerstine Appunn Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Hydrogen dw.com “Lobby battle over Energiewende” There is a lot of pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel and state premiers to hammer out a compromise at tonight’s ...
  • 27 May 2016

    Media reports: climate law rewards power waste / Ministry dispute on self-supply tax

    27 May 2016, 00:00 Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Panorama (ARD) “Absurd Energiewende: climate law rewards electricity waste” To be exempted from Germany's  Renewable Energy Act (EEG)  surcharge,  some companies just on  the threshold of ...
  • 13 Aug 2015

    In the media: RWE result down; new plan for nuclear waste

    13 Aug 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv RWE RWE operating result down by 11 percent / increased earnings from renewables Germany’s second biggest energy utility RWE reported a reduced operating result and EBITDA for the first six months ...
  • 08 Jul 2017 |

    Isolating Trump, 19 G20-members say Paris climate deal "irreversible"

    08 Jul 2017, 00:00 Nineteen members of the G20 group of leading industrialised and emerging economies underscored their commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, leaving the United States isolated. The US also was the only country to opt-out of a first ...
  • 10 May 2016

    Does Germany turn into a 'wind industry park'? / Car contradictions

    10 May 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung “The country, a wind industry park” "Rapeseed, maize, and wind monocultures" in the German countryside reveal what the solar age looks like, ...
  • 23 Jul 2015

    In the media: Energiewende à la Hollande

    23 Jul 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn tagesschau.de “More eco and a little less nuclear” Many German media are reporting about France’s new energy transition law, passed on Wednesday. The law says energy usage must be halved by 2050 and nuclear’s share of ...
  • 17 Jul 2015

    In the media: Why Germans support the Energiewende / Power export record

    17 Jul 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) "European Commission has missed the opportunity for innovation in CO2 intensive materials" The EU Commission’s proposal for carbon leakage ...
  • 22 Jun 2017 |

    “There’s no way around a coal exit law”

    22 Jun 2017, 00:00 Germany's energy transition can only be successful if it is created by citizens themselves in a socially fair way, the Left Party writes in its election campaign programme. The Left is currently the largest opposition group in the ...
  • 11 Jan 2021 |

    German conservatives pick leader set to shape handling of Merkel's climate legacy

    11 Jan 2021, 13:32 Three men compete to take the lead of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Germany's largest party, and to possibly follow in the footsteps of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who leaves office after 16 years in September amid a global ...
  • 03 Jun 2015

    In the media: Merkel- G7 to pioneer low-carbon economies

    03 Jun 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Sven Egenter 91tv 91tv Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) / The Times Merkel: G7 ought to pioneer transition to low-carbon economy Climate protection is a large global challenge, German Chancellor Angela ...
  • 28 May 2015

    In the media: Germans pay high power prices; Coal "dirty and poisonous"

    28 May 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv Eurostat/ZEW German households pay second highest power price in EU Household electricity prices in Germany are among the highest in the EU. According to the EU’s statistics office Eurostat, German households on ...
  • German election primer: Candidates handle agriculture transformation with kid gloves

    06 Aug 2021, 14:00 Germany’s upcoming national election is the first in which climate and energy policy have truly taken centre stage. In the agriculture sector, droughts and new policies aimed at bringing out the sector’s potential for eco-system ...
  • 26 Jan 2016

    Gas power stations rise from the dead / A transparent solar cell

    26 Jan 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv manager magazine / Bloomberg “Gas-fired power stations rise from the dead” What might be the biggest absurdity of the German Energiewende could now be ending, as relatively clean gas-fired power ...
  • 03 Sep 2019 |

    German conservatives flesh out climate action plans ahead of decisive cabinet meeting

    03 Sep 2019, 17:45 Following key regional elections in eastern German Saxony and Brandenburg, the conservative parties in Chancellor Angela Merkel's grand coalition – the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) – have ...
  • 24 Mar 2015

    In the media: Good prospects for wind turbine makers

    24 Mar 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv dpa / AFP Opposition to Minister Gabriel’s power station levy – discussion postponed The debate over the levy for older power stations emmitting CO2 beyond a certain limit, proposed last week by ...
  • 15 Feb 2018 |

    German cities might test free public transport to cut pollution

    15 Feb 2018, 00:00 In a bid to avoid EU fines for bad air quality, the German government has proposed to make public transport free of charge in polluted cities. But contradicting many press reports, the government clarified it had no plans for a blanket ...
  • 06 Feb 2015

    In the media: Local utilities warn against dangers to power supply

    06 Feb 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv DIW studies “Electricity Grids and Climate Targets: New Approaches to Grid Planning” The latest assumptions that will be used in the government's grid development plan take new climate ...
  • 04 Feb 2015

    In the media: Floating wind turbines, RWE restructuring plans

    04 Feb 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Tageszeitung "Wind turbines that can float" The Dresden-based Gicon group is producing a prototype for a floating wind turbine (see picture above), Bernward Janzig from the taz reports. ...
  • 07 Dec 2018 |

    Climate and energy views of candidates to follow Merkel at helm of CDU

    07 Dec 2018, 09:13 With her decision not to seek re-election as party chair and chancellor, Angela Merkel has kicked off what is a novelty for her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU): an organised internal election campaign for the party’s ...
  • 18 Nov 2015

    Taking stock of the Energiewende / Resistance to smart meters

    18 Nov 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) Balance Sheet of Energiewende Germany has published an assessment of its national climate protection efforts. The government says Germany is making “good ...
  • 17 Nov 2015 |

    COP21 Interview: Paris must be starting point for carbon price talks

    17 Nov 2015, 00:00 The final negotiations for a global climate treaty in Paris are just days away. What is the German perspective on an international climate agreement and what has the energy transition (Energiewende) got to do with it? The Clean Energy ...
  • 02 Jan 2015

    In the media: Wind power booms while solar wanes; Energiewende is popular, but Germans grumble about implementation

    02 Jan 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Handelsblatt / dpa “Solar boom continues to ebb“ Germany built 1.95 gigawatts-worth of solar installations in 2014 – 43 percent fewer than the year before, the Handelsblatt writes, reporting ...
  • 16 Dec 2014

    In the media: Environmentally harmful subsidies, the utilities as victims, grid extension projects

    16 Dec 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Study: Federal Environmental Agency (UBA) “Environmentally harmful subsidies amount to over 52 billion euros” Even as Germany  focuses much effort and funding on climate protection measures, it ...
  • 21 Nov 2014

    In the media: States want to keep coal, ministries at odds, money for climate

    21 Nov 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Zeit Online "Is Sigmar Gabriel secretly burying the Energiewende?" A “progress report” from the Economics Ministry on the Energiewende shows evidence of a political struggle over the ...
  • 13 Feb 2019 |

    Germany to stay in command on Nord Stream 2 after deal with France on EU directive

    13 Feb 2019, 10:15 Representatives of European Union member states endorsed a last-ditch German and French proposal to amend some of the language of the new rules on how to regulate pipeline projects such as Nord Stream 2. The deal would introduce tougher ...
  • 30 Sep 2015

    In the media: Carmakers complain about 'anti-diesel' lobby

    30 Sep 2015, 00:00 91tv 91tv FAZ/World Economic Forum “Praise for German competitiveness” According to the World Economic Forum’s new Global Competitiveness Report, Germany is one of the most economically competitive countries in the world, ...
  • 11 Sep 2015

    In the media: Govt, companies take tactical positions on nuclear clean-up

    11 Sep 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Die Welt “There’s no alternative to a nuclear fund” In the fight over who will provide the billions of euros needed for nuclear decommissioning and storage, the utilities always seem to be two ...
  • 02 Sep 2015

    In the media: Coal plants can be switched off; solar gets cheaper

    02 Sep 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Spiegel Online/IZES “Coal plants can be shut down despite nuclear phase-out” Germany can shut down its coal-fired power plants by 2040, despite the nuclear phase-out and without endangering power ...
  • Vote2017- Bareiß: "We will have to talk about a gradual end to renewables support."

    09 Dec 2016, 00:00 Germans will elect a new federal government in autumn 2017. Security, economic stability and refugees are likely to dominate election campaigns, but keeping the Energiewende on a steady course and fulfilling Germany’s international ...
  • Greens ready to make climate policy concessions in coalition talks

    07 Nov 2017, 00:00 As Germany’s Jamaica coalition talks are approaching a critical point, the Green Party appears to soften core climate policy demands in an attempt to achieve similar concessions from its negotiating partners. Party leaders say that ...
  • 03 Jul 2020 |

    Bumpy conclusion of Germany's landmark coal act clears way to next energy transition chapters

    03 Jul 2020, 12:48 In a vote that has been hailed as "historic", Germany's parliament has adopted a law that will ensure the phase-out of coal power by no later than 2038. The decision follows two years of intense debate about the country& ...
  • 06 Nov 2017 |

    COP23- Day 1: More German money for adaptation fund

    06 Nov 2017, 00:00 Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks said vulnerable countries must be put centre-stage and kicked off the conference with a pledge to raise Germany's contribution to the climate change adaptation fund by 50 million euros. ...
  • 13 Apr 2015

    In the media: Energiewende could bring 230,000 new jobs by 2050

    13 Apr 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv neue energie “230,000 new jobs – if the Energiewende succeeds” A new and as yet unpublished study by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy concludes that renewables are a boon for ...
  • 08 Apr 2015 |

    German Energiewende enjoys strong social mandate

    08 Apr 2015, 00:00 Regardless of recent squabbles about new power lines and rising electricity prices, Germans remain staunch supporters of the principles behind the Energiewende. Survey after survey shows a large majority of the population is in favour ...
  • 07 Apr 2015

    In the media: Unions see 100,000 jobs at risk; wind sets new record

    07 Apr 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv   Süddeutsche Zeitung Unions – CO2 levy could erase 100,000 jobs The additional CO2 levy on old power plants, proposed by the German government to achieve climate targets, puts up to 100,000 jobs ...
  • 12 Mar 2015

    In the media: Should utilities survive?

    12 Mar 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Spiegel Online “Let the utilities die” Germany’s biggest utilities are in an existential crisis of their own making, writes Nicolai Kwasniewski in a commentary on Spiegel Online. “The survival of ...
  • 17 Dec 2015

    'Second energy transition needed' / Learning from the Germans

    17 Dec 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Die Zeit “We can do it one more time” Germany needs nothing less than a second energy transition in order to achieve its climate target of reducing emissions by 80-95 percent by 2050, writes Petra ...
  • 14 Dec 2015

    A 'terrific day for humanity' or just 'the lowest common denominator'?

    14 Dec 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Süddeutsche Zeitung “For humanity” The Paris treaty is a “terrific day for humanity” and spells out clearly that the fossil era is coming to an end, writes Michael Bauchmüller in a commentary for ...
  • 08 Dec 2015

    Households' power price ignorance / A coffee with the Germans

    08 Dec 2015, 00:00 Sven Egenter 91tv 91tv DENA "Only one third of households know their electricity bills exactly" Only about one third of German households know the exact amount they pay for electricity, a survey by the German ...
  • Court's halt to forest clearing fans talk of easier German coal exit

    08 Oct 2018, 16:58 Anti-coal activists in Germany and beyond experienced a sudden change in fortune on 5 October, when a court ruling boosted their cause and provisionally stopped plans of energy company RWE to cut down the embattled Hambach Forest in ...
  • 02 Nov 2015

    Greenpeace excluded from Vattenfall sale / CO2 pledges "Sign of Hope"?

    02 Nov 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Greenpeace “Greenpeace excluded from Vattenfall bidding process” Citigroup has excluded Greenpeace from the sale process of Swedish utility Vattenfall’s German lignite operations. The bank said the ...
  • 24 Jun 2016 |

    Germany’s roadmap to CO2-neutrality delayed amid industry objections

    24 Jun 2016, 00:00 Germany’s first roadmap for decarbonisation by the middle of the century has been delayed amid industry fears that tough climate targets would endanger the country’s economic competitiveness and growth. The Environment Ministry in ...
  • 21 Aug 2019 |

    German government enters crunch time on climate challenge

    21 Aug 2019, 16:00 Moment of truth for German climate policy: Right in time for the UN Climate Action Summit, chancellor Angela Merkel's government is due to present a raft of measures to drastically cut emissions. The eagerly awaited announcements ...
  • 08 Jun 2016

    Renewables reform / Merkel: Energiewende must not destroy utilities

    08 Jun 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Kerstine Appunn Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Federal government Renewables law reform gets government approval Angela Merkel’s cabinet has decided on the reform of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) that is to take ...
  • 18 Sep 2015

    In the media: Greenpeace says lignite reserve illegal; staggering utility giants

    18 Sep 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Osnabrücker Zeitung / Dow Jones Newswires E.ON CEO compares cheap renewable power to “unpaid slaves” Current power market structures are not geared to taking up large amounts of renewable energy, E ...
  • 13 Jan 2020 |

    EU push for green finance compels Germany to develop coherent strategy in 2020

    13 Jan 2020, 17:00 Preview 2020: Green and sustainable finance has made a steep ascent in Germany last year and established itself as a key element of climate policy. Government plans to become a leading location for green financial products, intensifying ...
  • Feed-in tariffs for British nuclear power rile German politicians and renewables industry

    09 Oct 2014, 00:00 Resistance to Germany’s subsidies for the renewables industry have left politicians questioning why financing for the UK’s Hinkley Point nuclear power station has been granted EU approval. Expert BEE- German Renewable Energy Federation ...
  • 06 Apr 2016

    Minister calls nuclear energy an ‘aberration’ / Renewables dominate EU electricity mix

    06 Apr 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Ministry for the Environment and Nuclear Safety Using nuclear energy is an ‘aberration’ The nuclear catastrophe of Chernobyl almost 30 years ago showed that using nuclear energy ...
  • 24 Mar 2016

    Finance minister sceptical about e-car support / Utilities as 'capital destroyers'

    24 Mar 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Spiegel Online “E-car subsidies – Schäuble dampens hopes of a buyer’s premium“ There is increasing scepticism within the federal government concerning subsidies for e-cars. Vice ...
  • 14 Mar 2016

    Ten million tonnes more CO2 / Energiewende 'no election campaign hit'

    14 Mar 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Kerstine Appunn Green Budget Germany / Frankfurter Rundschau “Ten million tonnes more CO2” Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions increased again in 2015, compared to 2014, researchers from Green Budget Germany (FÖS) say. ...
  • 20 Sep 2019 |

    Germany bets on slow-starting CO2 price, slew of incentives to reach 2030 climate goals

    20 Sep 2019, 20:00 Chancellor Angela Merkel's so-called "climate cabinet" has put together the bedrock for future climate action legislation in Germany, just in time for UN Secretary-General António Guterres' Climate Action Summit in ...
  • 27 May 2019 |

    Slump in EU election raises pressure on Merkel's coalition as Greens surge on climate worries

    27 May 2019, 15:43 Germany’s ruling parties have taken another blow in the European elections, further rattling the fragile government coalition, as voters increasingly turn away from the established forces in the political centre. Against the backdrop of ...
  • 24 Apr 2015

    In the media: Siemens boss swipes at Energiewende on US visit

    24 Apr 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Siemens boss jokes about the Energiewende At a conference of oil industry executives in Texas, Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser said that anyone making energy policy for a ...
  • 15 Dec 2015 |

    Paris deal fuels German coal exit debate, stirs industry concerns

    15 Dec 2015, 00:00 The widely celebrated Paris Agreement has intensified the debate about how Germany can achieve its endangered climate targets. Most commentators and climate activists argued the results of the climate summit vindicated demands that ...
  • Reactions to Germany's official launch of coal exit task force

    07 Jun 2018, 00:00 Germany has launched official talks to phase out coal power in a bid to cut greenhouse gas emissions that have remained stubbornly high despite the country’s shift to renewable power. The 91tv collects reactions from ...
  • Germany's energy giants in dire straits

    11 Mar 2015, 00:00 E.ON posts record loss for 2014 and RWE’s outlook is bleak, fuelling debate over their future. 91tv 91tv Utilities Electricity market Germany's largest utility, E.ON, posted a loss of 3.16 billion euros for 2014- ...
  • 04 Mar 2015

    In the media: Greenpeace Energy to take legal action over UK nuclear support

    04 Mar 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) “No capacity payments to coal- and gas-fired power plants” Additional payments to operators of coal- and gas-fired power plants are currently not ...
  • 10 Nov 2015

    Germany's renewables prospects / E.ON's "historic loss"

    10 Nov 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Renewable Energy Prospects: Germany A new IRENA report “Renewable Energy Prospects Germany” examines the country’s energy transition in the last ...
  • 22 May 2018 |

    Germany gears up for official talks on coal phase-out

    22 May 2018, 00:00 Energy transition pioneer Germany is about to launch a highly anticipated task force on phasing out coal power, the most prominent blemish on the country’s climate record. The government will likely nominate the coal exit commission on ...
  • 14 Jan 2020 |

    Anxious carmakers forced to tread 'arduous' path to e-mobility in 2020

    14 Jan 2020, 10:06 Germany's shift to electric mobility looks set to get underway in earnest in 2020, and the country's mighty carmakers look ahead with trepidation to what promises to be a tremendous effort for the industry. Against the ...
  • 12 Oct 2015 |

    COP21 Interview: Germany must commit to brown coal exit before Paris

    12 Oct 2015, 00:00 The final negotiations for a global climate treaty in Paris are just weeks away. What is the German perspective on an international climate agreement and what has the energy transition (Energiewende) got to do with it? The Clean Energy ...
  • 25 Sep 2015

    In the media: CO2 emissions from cars; citizens' energy pushed out?

    25 Sep 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Spiegel Online “Exhaust affair: VW tricks increase doubts about climate calculations” Car manufacturers are not only using tricks to stay under nitrogen oxide thresholds in tests but also to reduce ...
  • 11 Dec 2014

    In the media: Global perceptions of the Energiewende, CO2 from cars and report on fossil fuel dependency

    11 Dec 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Study: Renewable Energies Agency (AEE) “How the world sees the Energiewende” Germany’s Energiewende – the shift from conventional and nuclear energy to a renewable power supply – is the focus of ...
  • 04 Aug 2015

    In the media: Obama's Energiewende

    04 Aug 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Süddeutsche Zeitung “With greetings to Paris” The German environment ministry and several NGOs welcomed President Obama’s clean power deal as increasing the chances of achieving an effective ...
  • 26 Jun 2015

    In the media: Vattenfall shelves resettlement of coal communities

    26 Jun 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Berliner Morgenpost /dpa “Vattenfall stops resettlement plans near lignite mine in Nochten” Energy utility Vattenfall has stopped plans to resettle around 1700 people near its open cast lignite ...
  • 18 May 2015

    In the media: Climate Dialogue to prepare Paris negotiations

    18 May 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Tagesspiegel / Petersberg Climate Dialogue VI Merkel wants carbon trading scheme for the whole world Environment ministers from around the world meet in Berlin today and tomorrow to discuss and ...
  • 20 May 2016

    Wind to beat nuclear for the first time / States criticise Climate Action Plan

    20 May 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Institute for Renewable Energy (IWR) “Wind power overtakes nuclear energy for first time in Germany” Germany’s wind turbines will generate more electricity this year than nuclear ...
  • 18 Mar 2025 |

    Nord Stream 2: Twists and turns of a controversial gas pipeline

    18 Mar 2025, 10:20 The pipeline Nord Stream 2 connects Germany directly to Russian gas supplies, but it has never come into operation and has split opinions, both in Europe and beyond, for years. It has become a symbol of failed German energy policy, ...
  • 17 Mar 2016

    2015 emissions rise / An international view of the energy transition

    17 Mar 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Federal Environment Agency (UBA) Emissions data 2015 – 6 million tonnes more CO2 2015 has seen a slight increase in greenhouse gas emissions, the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) reports. According ...
  • 15 Mar 2016

    An unconstitutional nuclear phase-out? / Vattenfall's 'coal chaos'

    15 Mar 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Süddeutsche Zeitung “Was the nuclear phase-out unconstitutional?” Germany’s Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe will on Tuesday and Wednesday hear parties in the case of the country’s nuclear phase ...
  • 28 Nov 2014

    In the media: Environment Minister says Germany on track for climate targets

    28 Nov 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv RBB Info Interview with Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks With the Climate Action Programme, due to be passed by cabinet next week, Germany is on track to reach its greenhouse gas reduction ...
  • EU Climate agreement gets mixed reception in Germany

    24 Oct 2014, 00:00 The framework for energy policy until 2030 failed to meet all Germany’s ambitions but government says the agreement is in line with the energy transition. Expert BDEW-German Association of Energy and Water Industries Bundesverband der ...
  • 17 Sep 2019 |

    Tracking the CO2 price debate in Germany

    17 Sep 2019, 13:28 After shying away from the debate for a long time, Germany's political leaders are finally considering putting a price on CO2 to help reach the country's climate targets. Chancellor Angela Merkel and her " climate cabinet ...
  • 09 Dec 2015

    A 'climate miracle' under negotiation / 'Paris talks, Opec decides'

    09 Dec 2015, 00:00 Spiegel Online “How the Germans are negotiating a climate miracle” The Paris climate summit could result in a global commitment to decarbonisation, writes Axel Bojanowski for Spiegel, but there is still resistance from the oil producing ...
  • 07 Dec 2015 |

    COP21- Day 7/8: A German facilitator, a climate action plan 2050

    07 Dec 2015, 00:00 Day 7/8 at the UN climate conference: Environment state secretary Flasbarth becomes facilitator / EU fights for new differentiation / Germany plans decarbonisation by 2050 Expert BMWi- Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy ...
  • 06 Nov 2015

    87% of Germans support climate treaty / Energy transition costs

    06 Nov 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Fraunhofer ISE “What does the Energiewende cost?” The costs of a climate-friendly transformation of the German energy system from now until 2050- when the country wants to emit 80 percent less ...
  • 10 Dec 2018 |

    COP24 blog- Germany drops in climate performance

    10 Dec 2018, 09:03 Germany is under scrutiny at the UN climate summit COP24 in Poland: the country will fail its 2020 climate target and only the next year will show if a push to phase-out coal-fired power production will result in an end date for the CO2 ...
  • 22 Sep 2015

    In the media: VW's blatant deception; "error in the IEA energy bible"

    22 Sep 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) “The VW scandal” It is a mystery why VW decided to take the risk of manipulating emission results with rather limited benefits, writes Holger Appel in FAZ. Why ...
  • 17 Sep 2015

    In the media: Havoc for utilities; a push for robot cars

    17 Sep 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Bloomberg “Why Germany’s nuclear power exit is causing havoc for utilities” Financing the nuclear phase-out is the biggest challenge yet for Germany’s large utilities, which explains this week’s ...
  • 05 Jun 2019 |

    'Green wave' vs right-wing populism: Europe faces climate policy polarisation

    05 Jun 2019, 16:00 The European elections delivered major gains for Green parties in several countries, as voters signalled a strong desire for more aggressive action on climate change. In Germany, the Green surge was especially strong. The party doubled ...
  • Reactions to government decision to adopt alternative to coal levy

    02 Jul 2015, 00:00 The German government finally buried plans for a levy on old coal-fired power plants. Instead, Chancellor Angela Merkel, energy minister Sigmar Gabriel and leading politicians from the ruling coalition adopted a union proposal to pay ...
  • 01 Jun 2015

    In the media: Government warns banks of 'Carbon Bubble' risk

    01 Jun 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Süddeutsche Zeitung Interview with Chancellor on Climate Summit In an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel said that preparing for the climate summit in Paris ...
  • 29 Apr 2015

    In the media: Reactions to E.ON split; first solar tender results

    29 Apr 2015, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Süddeutsche Zeitung “Residual Risk” There are worrying parallels between the current E.ON split into two separate companies and the finance industry’s spinning off of risky assets into bad banks in ...
  • 29 Apr 2016

    Volkswagen's new clean image / 'Wind turbines are standing still'

    29 Apr 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv VW / Handelsblatt “We plan to make electric cars one of Volkswagen’s new hallmarks” German carmaker Volkswagen wants to be at the forefront of big changes in the auto industry, in ...
  • 18 Sep 2017 |

    German election to define speed and shape of energy transition

    18 Sep 2017, 00:00 With Germans about to cast their votes in the federal election, Chancellor Angela Merkel is virtually certain to retain power. But the make-up of the next coalition will be key to how the new government tackles a host of energy and ...
  • 04 Sep 2019 |

    Frankfurt car fair promises showdown between Fridays for Future and auto lobby

    04 Sep 2019, 10:53 This year's Frankfurt Motor Show steals the limelight for unusual reasons. Thousands of people will flock to the bi-annual industry fair – but many of them not to admire horsepower-proud vehicles, but instead to call for their ...
  • 12 Mar 2018 |

    Germany's car-loving transport minister faces clean mobility challenge

    12 Mar 2018, 00:00 Car industry hub Germany is under increasing pressure to accelerate the shift to sustainable mobility in order to reach its climate targets and improve the quality of air in inner city areas. Against the backdrop of a looming ban on ...
  • 04 Mar 2015 |

    Lobbies, experts disagree over ideal power market redesign

    04 Mar 2015, 00:00 The consultation period for the government's green paper on power market reform is over and submissions reveal stakeholders' different ideas and priorities for a redesign. Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Electricity ...
  • 31 Mar 2016

    German solar "a pile of shards" / Chinese power for Germany?

    31 Mar 2016, 00:00 (UPDATE- clarifies sourcing in section on emissions trading in paragraph 6- sources are Prognos and German Steel Federation, not Die Welt. Headline changes accordingly.) Sören Amelang Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Frankfurter ...
  • 27 Feb 2018 |

    Reactions to Germany's court ruling on diesel driving bans

    27 Feb 2018, 00:00 Germany's Federal Administrative Court has ruled that cities can ban dirty diesel cars to improve local air quality. The 91tv presents reactions to the landmark ruling from NGOs, politicians and industry associations. ...
  • 10 Mar 2016

    'Coal battle, next round' / Power trends since Fukushima

    10 Mar 2016, 00:00 Sören Amelang Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Climate Action Network “Break free from fossil fuels” Climate activist movement 350.org and Climate Action Network have announced a series of peaceful, coordinated actions “to disrupt ...
  • 15 Apr 2016

    [Update] Ministry releases new draft version of renewables law

    15 Apr 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy New draft version of Renewable Energy Act released The Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy has released a new draft of the Renewable ...
  • 02 Feb 2016

    E-car incentives: 'Subsidy trap' or 'healthy shock'?

    02 Feb 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Süddeutsche Zeitung “The government, the e-car and the subsidy trap” Chancellor Angela Merkel would be well advised not to adopt a buyer’s premium for electric cars after her meeting with industry ...
  • Energy minister locks horns with utilities over capacity markets

    20 Jan 2015, 00:00 Sigmar Gabriel has made strong statements against capacity markets, with the utilities once again insisting they are needed to ensure investment in the power sector. The state secretary for energy said that with current overcapacity, ...
  • 30 Nov 2015 |

    COP21- Day 1: Merkel says decarbonisation needed, but mum on coal

    30 Nov 2015, 00:00 Day 1 at the UN climate conference: Paris must deliver an ambitious, comprehensive, fair and binding agreement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the climate conference in Paris / Germany's Environment Minister called for ...
  • Germany faces challenges to its triad of targets at European climate negotiations

    22 Oct 2014, 00:00 Germany is to push for a triad of targets for 2030 at the EU climate summit on 23-24 October with broad backing from the public, and some concerns on the part of industry. Expert BDI- Federation of German Industries Bundesverband der ...
  • 29 Oct 2015 |

    COP21 Interview: Paris deal "no guaranteed home run"

    29 Oct 2015, 00:00 The final negotiations for a global climate treaty in Paris are just weeks away. What is the German perspective on an international climate agreement and what has the energy transition (Energiewende) got to do with it? The Clean Energy ...
  • Preview2018- Next German government faces urgent coal choice

    22 Dec 2017, 00:00 After a year filled with events that put Germany’s climate policy in the limelight, such as the G20 summit in Hamburg, the COP23 in Bonn, or the debate over coal in the ill-fated ‘Jamaica coalition’ talks, the country’s political life ...
  • 29 Apr 2021 |

    Tracking progress of Germany's 2030 climate action package

    29 Apr 2021, 12:30 With its Climate Action Law and the Climate Action Programme 2030, Germany's government coalition has presented a far-reaching climate strategy that is aimed at putting the country on track towards reaching its climate targets. The ...
  • Commission watch – Managing Germany’s coal phase-out

    31 Jan 2019, 13:30 In a bid to improve Germany's poor emission reduction record and to identify economic perspectives for people employed in the waning coal industry, the grand coalition government in 2018 set up a commission tasked with managing the ...
  • 13 Jan 2016 |

    Coal exit proposal reveals faultlines in energy debate

    13 Jan 2016, 00:00 A think tank proposal on how Germany should exit coal has pushed the debate on the Energiewende's future into full swing, exposing deep fault lines. The environment ministry and Greens backed the plan for a phase-out of coal power ...
  • Auction scheme for solar installations ushers in new phase for renewables market

    29 Jan 2015, 00:00 The German government has launched a pilot scheme that requires operators of open-space solar installations to bid for subsidies, rather than automatically receiving them. Berlin hopes competition among solar energy producers will ...
  • East German state elections pose litmus test for coal exit plans

    16 Aug 2019, 10:00 Voters in the eastern German states of Saxony and Brandenburg head to the polls on 1 September for crucial state elections. The results could have an outsized impact on German climate policy for three reasons. First, these states are ...
  • 02 Dec 2014

    In the media: E.ON and the age of dinosaurs, climate action ready for government approval

    02 Dec 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Süddeutsche Zeitung “The end of dinosaurs“ In the end, the large dinosaurs who had ruled the world disappeared – Germany’s big energy companies face a similar fate, writes Markus Balser in the ...
  • 17 Dec 2018 |

    COP24 reactions from Germany: “A victory for multilateralism”

    17 Dec 2018, 10:11 Nearly 200 nations agreed on a rulebook for implementing the landmark 2015 Paris Climate Agreement at the UN climate change conference COP24 in Katowice, Poland. The deal on climate action rules was immediately hailed as a victory for ...
  • 25 Nov 2014

    In the media: Making sense of the coal "roller coaster"

    25 Nov 2014, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn 91tv 91tv Dow Jones Newswires "Gabriel's coal proposal: utilities keep calm" German utilities are prepared to shut down some power stations, reports Dow Jones Newswires. They agreed to Economy ...
  • 22 Apr 2016

    Record CO2 levels / 'TTIP destroys climate achievements'

    22 Apr 2016, 00:00 Kerstine Appunn Julian Wettengel 91tv 91tv UBA Record high CO2 measurements in Germany Germany’s Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has measured the highest annual CO2 concentrations ever in 2015. In its research stations on ...
  • 15 Jan 2015 |

    Unions between embracing the new and defending the old in Energiewende

    15 Jan 2015, 00:00 German trade unions are vocal stakeholders in the Energiewende, wary of job losses in the conventional energy sector and campaigning for labour rights in the growing renewables sector. Their importance is amplified by their traditional ...
  • 17 Sep 2019 |

    German climate policy faces pivotal moment on 20 September

    17 Sep 2019, 13:33 Chancellor Angela Merkel's government coalition is racing to put together a major climate action package by 20 September, just in time for UN Secretary-General António Guterres' climate summit in New York on 23 September. Mere ...
  • 07 Jun 2015 |

    Merkel's quest for climate leadership at G7

    07 Jun 2015, 00:00 UPDATE (7 June 2015)-- All eyes are on Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel during the G7 summit this weekend. Recent statements including her weekly podcast indicate Merkel intends to do justice to her former reputation as " ...
  • 07 Dec 2018 |

    German conservatives elect Merkel-confidante as new party leader

    07 Dec 2018, 19:29 Germany's conservative Christian Democrats elected general secretary Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel at the helm of the party. The election of Merkel's close ally and former premier in the ...
  • 29 Dec 2015 |

    2016 Outlook – Key topics for Germany’s energy transition

    29 Dec 2015, 00:00 2016 is set to be another eventful year in German energy policy. The Paris climate summit underlined the need to reduce emissions even further, which will ultimately involve painful decisions about the future of coal. A series of ...
  • 30 Dec 2014 |

    2015 outlook: Key topics for the Energiewende

    30 Dec 2014, 00:00 After an eventful 2014 – marked by the reform of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG), a new climate action package and the first fall in CO2 emissions for two years – German energy policy is primed for action in 2015. Expert AGEB- AG ...
  • 30 Mar 2015 |

    Where the Energiewende creates jobs

    30 Mar 2015, 00:00 The near-term impact of the Energiewende on Germany’s economy remains hotly debated. There is no systematic monitoring of business and job creation-- or losses-- as a result of the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy. This ...
  • 02 Sep 2019 |

    Facts on the German state elections in Brandenburg

    02 Sep 2019, 10:16 After elections in 2019, a coalition of the Social Democrats (SPD), conservative CDU and the Green Party have formed Brandenburg's state government. SPD's Dietmar Woidke was re-elected premier of the scarcely populated ...
  • Positions of key stakeholders on the EEG: Research Institutes

    06 Oct 2014, 00:00 This Factsheet lists views and positions of some German research institutes on the new Renewable Energy Act (EEG) which came into effect on 1 August 2014. Energiewende Renewable Energy Act | EEG 2014 Policy Kerstine Appunn Institute for ...
  • Putting a price on emissions: What are the prospects for carbon pricing in Germany?

    18 Jul 2019, 13:04 Having long shied away from the debate, the German government is finally considering a price on CO₂ emissions in sectors not covered by the EU Emissions Trading System, such as transport and buildings. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s climate ...
  • 20 Apr 2017 |

    Key stakeholders in Germany’s Energiewende

    20 Apr 2017, 00:00 Which groups are invested in, and impacted by, the German energy transition? Here we identify the key stakeholder groups, their positions and concerns. Energiewende Sven Egenter Julian Wettengel The German federal government Federal ...
  • 30 Aug 2019 |

    Facts on the German state elections in Saxony

    30 Aug 2019, 10:23 After elections in 2019, a coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Green Party and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) have formed the government in Saxony. CDU's Michael Kretschmer was re-elected state premier. The ...
  • 23 Feb 2022 |

    Q&A: What does Germany's decision to put Nord Stream 2 on hold mean?

    23 Feb 2022, 14:20 Germany has put the contentious Nord Stream 2 pipeline on hold in reaction to Russian aggression against Ukraine – but what does this decision mean? Is this the end of the project? Is Europe's gas supply at risk? And does the ...
  • 10 Feb 2022 |

    Energy crunch- How does it affect Germany’s climate policy & what can be done?

    10 Feb 2022, 13:25 Gas supply shortages and geopolitical tensions between Russia and the West are hitting the EU at a time when the bloc wants to focus on phasing out fossil fuels to achieve climate neutrality by the middle of the century. Plans in Berlin ...
  • The history behind Germany's nuclear phase-out

    09 Mar 2021, 00:00 The nuclear phase-out is as much part of the Energiewende (energy transition) as the move towards a low-carbon economy. Despite ongoing quarrels over its costs and an international perception that “ German angst ” caused the government ...
  • 05 Oct 2020 |

    What a higher EU 2030 climate target means for member states like Germany

    05 Oct 2020, 12:45 The European Commission under president Ursula von der Leyen has proposed to increase the bloc’s 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target to "at least 55 percent". The European Parliament’s environment committee has ...
  • 20 years on: German renewables pioneers face end of guaranteed payment

    16 Sep 2019, 14:00 Guaranteed remuneration for operators of renewable power installations has been a key component of Germany's energy transition. Feed-in tariffs were introduced with the country's Renewable Energy Act (EEG) in the year 2000. ...
  • 06 Sep 2022 |

    What happens if Russia's gas supplies to Germany are cut?

    06 Sep 2022, 10:40 Russia has reduced deliveries to Europe step by step in recent months, underlining that the fuel is arguably its most important energy asset in the geopolitical scramble following the invasion of Ukraine. While the EU and other western ...
  • 19 Apr 2018 |

    Environmental concerns accompany German offshore wind expansion

    19 Apr 2018, 00:00 Offshore wind power is set to play a growing role in Germany’s energy transition, with productivity outperforming expectations and prices down to unprecedentedly low levels in the first auction. But the giant turbines also pose a ...
  • 15 Dec 2015 |

    COP21- Media on Germany and the Paris Climate Summit

    15 Dec 2015, 00:00 In this factsheet, the 91tv presents an overview of German media comments and reports on the Paris Climate Summit, which took place from 30 November to 11 December. COP21 Climate & CO2 Kerstine Appunn Süddeutsche ...
  • 20 Sep 2017 |

    Campaign quotes: What Merkel & Schulz say about Energiewende issues

    20 Sep 2017, 00:00 Chancellor Angela Merkel promises more precise climate goals after the elections; contender Martin Schulz calls for a binding e-car quota. In the run-up to the federal elections in Germany on 24 September, 91tv presents key campaign ...
  • 31 Mar 2021 |

    Reluctant Daimler shifts gear in race to sustainable mobility

    31 Mar 2021, 11:00 The Daimler Group and its iconic Mercedes-Benz brand are global bywords for luxury cars made in Germany. The company is a classic powerhouse of automobile innovation, but was slow to embrace electric mobility in earnest. Spooked by the ...
  • 20 Sep 2017 |

    Campaign quotes: Greens and Free Democrats on Energiewende issues

    20 Sep 2017, 00:00 The Free Democrats (FDP) want a more market-led Energiewende and abolish "dreadful subsidies" to renewables, while the Green Party favours a CO2 tax and the phase-out of conventional cars. In the run-up to the federal election ...
  • 16 Jun 2015 |

    Milestones of the German Energiewende

    16 Jun 2015, 00:00 This factsheet provides a time line of important events, policies and research that have shaped the energy transition in Germany over the past four decades. Energiewende Society Paul Hockenos 1972   Publication of “ The Limits to Growth ...
  • 23 Mar 2022 |

    Carbon farming explained: the pros, the cons and the EU's plans

    23 Mar 2022, 10:27 Climate neutrality forces all parts of the economy to cut emissions to near-zero, and to capture remaining greenhouse gases in natural sinks, or using technical removal. Reducing the carbon footprint of industry, electricity generation, ...
  • 04 Apr 2022 |

    Green and sustainable finance in Germany

    04 Apr 2022, 11:30 Integrating finance into climate and energy policy has become a central challenge for governments around the world, as emissions reduction plans need proper funding and investments that can undermine their climate goals have to be cut ...
  • Position of key stakeholders on the EEG 2.0: Environmental groups

    07 Oct 2014, 00:00 This Factsheet lists views and positions of some German environmental groups on the new Renewable Energy Act (EEG) which came into effect on 1 August 2014. Energiewende Renewable Energy Act | EEG 2014 Policy Kerstine Appunn Nature and ...
  • Germany ponders how to finance renewables expansion in the future

    13 Jul 2017, 00:00 Germany’s main instrument to support renewables expansion – the renewable energy surcharge – is under intense scrutiny in the run-up to the country’s federal elections in autumn. Demands for a fairer distribution of costs, and the ...
  • Local stories from Germany's energy transition

    26 May 2016, 00:00 National media coverage of the German Energiewende mainly chronicles government activities and energy policy debates, such as reforming the Renewable Energy Act, the upcoming Climate Action Plan 2050, or the fate of big utilities. But ...
  • Defining features of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) 2014

    08 Oct 2014, 00:00 This factsheet explains some of the tools that have made the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) the most important measure for the promotion of renewable power sources in Germany in the past 24 years. Renewable Energy Act | EEG 2014 Kerstine ...
  • 28 Sep 2016 |

    Bioenergy's public acceptance problem

    28 Sep 2016, 00:00 Bioenergy isn’t as popular with the German public as the country’s other major renewable energy sources. Fears of swathes of the German countryside being subsumed by maize monoculture, as well as sustainability issues abroad, have ...
  • Interconnectors & blockages – German grid at odds with EU power market

    12 Apr 2018, 00:00 The European Commission is pushing for a single European energy market. That demands a better-connected system, which could result in cheaper power and a more stable grid. At the centre of Europe, neighbouring eight other EU states, ...
  • Comparing old and new: Changes to Germany's Renewable Energy Act

    07 Oct 2014, 00:00 In the summer of 2014 Germany amended its Renewable Energy Act (Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz or EEG). The new law, often referred to as “EEG 2.0”, came into effect on the 1st of August 2014. The EEG is at the heart of the transformation ...
  • 17 Sep 2021 |

    Vote21- Milestones & facts for Germany's packed election year

    17 Sep 2021, 09:00 Germany will head to the polls on 26 September to elect a new federal parliament and government. More than 60 million people are invited to decide who will follow on the outgoing Angela Merkel as next chancellor and oversee the climate ...
  • 16 Aug 2021 |

    Climate-friendly farming: The proposals of Germany's agriculture commission

    16 Aug 2021, 12:44 In a late push to include the farming sector in its efforts for a climate neutral transformation, Chancellor Angela Merkel's government in 2020 created the "Commission for the Future of Agriculture." Droughts and farmers& ...
  • 24 Jun 2016 |

    Germany's new power market design

    24 Jun 2016, 00:00 The German parliament has approved wide-reaching reforms of the power market and agreements about the transferral of lignite power plants into an emergency reserve before permanent phase-out. This factsheet presents a summary of the ...
  • 05 Nov 2014 |

    Facts and figures on the social impact of the Energiewende

    05 Nov 2014, 00:00 German society is transforming under the twin pressures of the legislation that frames the country’s energy transition, and the drive from ordinary people now playing an active role in decentralised energy production, and making choices ...
  • 20 Mar 2020 |

    High-profile advisory group lays out proposals for Germany's sustainable finance push

    20 Mar 2020, 17:00 Germany's government has aimed to make the country the leading location for a sustainable financial system. In a bid to establish a coherent strategy for aligning public and private investments made in the country with ...
  • Green Party coalition partner in three new German state governments

    23 May 2016, 00:00 State elections have shifted the power balance in Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony-Anhalt and Baden-Württemberg. The Greens are partners in each new coalition government. The party’s commitment to the energy transition is reflected in the ...
  • Details of new Climate Action Programme

    03 Dec 2014, 00:00 The cabinet has approved a new Climate Action Programme with measures to reduce the country’s CO2 emissions. Economy and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks stressed that the country is now on track ...
  • 19 Feb 2025 |

    Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions and energy transition targets

    19 Feb 2025, 13:10 This factsheet provides an overview of Germany's greenhouse gas emissions and the government's energy transition targets. [UPDATES to include price for emissions allocations Germany had to buy from EU neighbours] Climate & ...
  • 02 Feb 2023 |

    The EU’s Carbon Border Tax — panacea or recipe for trade war?

    02 Feb 2023, 09:26 The European Union is introducing a carbon border adjustment mechanism, an instrument that has been lauded by some as a much-needed stimulus for climate action and branded by others as a fast route to new trade wars between the bloc and ...
  • 23 Jun 2016 |

    Climate Action Plan 2050: Negotiating a path to decarbonisation

    23 Jun 2016, 00:00 Even before the Paris Agreement laid out international climate commitments, Germany had set its own ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2050. But emissions from the power and transport sector are failing to fall fast enough, ...
  • German commission proposes coal exit by 2038

    17 May 2019, 09:20 The final report of Germany's coal exit commission sets out a pathway for the country to phase out the fossil power source and make progress on its slow emissions reductions. Delegations from industry, environmental NGOs, civil ...
  • 17 Nov 2014 |

    The Climate Action Programme – what it's all about

    17 Nov 2014, 00:00 On 3 December, the cabinet is to approve a new Climate Action Programme with measures to reduce the country’s CO2 emissions. But why is the government presenting the plan now? Climate & CO2 Fossil fuels Kerstine Appunn Germany has ...
  • What business thinks of the energy transition

    20 Sep 2017, 00:00 Companies have broadly mixed attitudes towards the Energiewende, depending on their sector, the size of their business, or location. Polls and analyses help explain their views. [UPDATE- Adds DIHK Energiewende Barometer 2017] Business ...
  • Reactions to the Renewable Energy Act reform 2016

    11 Jul 2016, 00:00 Germany is giving its main renewables support scheme, the Renewable Energy Act (EEG), a major overhaul, aiming to streamline the growth of renewables and to reduce costs for consumers. But the plans, including a switch from feed-in ...
  • 14 Mar 2018 |

    Germany’s largest utilities at a glance

    14 Mar 2018, 00:00 Germany's energy transition has shaken the country’s dominant power companies to the core, because it undermines their traditional business model of centralised power generation. In a bid to survive the turmoil, the utilities ...
  • High hopes and concerns over onshore wind power auctions

    30 Nov 2017, 00:00 Germany has switched its support model for onshore wind power installations from predetermined and guaranteed remuneration rates to setting the price in auctions. Following solar power and offshore wind power, Germany’s most important ...
  • German federalism: In 16 states of mind over the Energiewende

    10 Mar 2016, 00:00 Germany’s 16 federal states may have a common goal – to cut emissions and fight climate change – but there are many different opinions about how to achieve it and how exactly the Energiewende should progress. Ahead of the parliamentary ...
  • 09 Jun 2016 |

    E.ON shareholders ratify energy giant's split

    09 Jun 2016, 00:00 [UPDATE with shareholder vote and media comments]- E.ON was the first of Germany's major utilities to announce a split into two companies to adjust to the sweeping changes triggered in the sector by the country’s Energiewende. The ...
  • 18 Jan 2023 |

    Coal in Germany

    18 Jan 2023, 09:00 The future use of coal is at the centre of Germany's political debate on the energy transition and its efforts to mitigate climate change after the country has seen a stagnation in greenhouse gas emissions despite growing use of ...
  • 07 Dec 2021 |

    The story of "Climate Chancellor" Angela Merkel

    07 Dec 2021, 13:30 German leader Angela Merkel has been nicknamed the "Climate Chancellor" for her long-standing international action on emission cuts. However, at the end of her 16-year German leadership in winter 2021 many see her climate ...
  • 27 Nov 2024 |

    Polls reveal citizen support for climate action and energy transition

    27 Nov 2024, 13:00 The German public has put climate action at the top of its policy priorities for several years and remains strongly in support of the transition to a low-carbon and nuclear-free economy. The picture across Europe is more diverse, ...
  • 16 Jan 2023 |

    What German households pay for electricity

    16 Jan 2023, 12:00 The energy transition's impact on household electricity prices is a contentious issue in Germany, because surcharges to finance the renewables' rollout resulted in Europe's highest bills for many years. But since Russia& ...
  • 91tv Network Blog
  • 06 Oct 2020 |

    The power of solar in Africa, energy sovereignty in South America, coal trade between Colombia and Europe: 91tv’s grant winners go truly cross-border on green recovery

    06 Oct 2020, 14:00 Milou Dirkx International From a fair energy transition in Chile and Argentina to solar power in East Africa – the winning pitches of the 91tv grant showcase the breadth and potential of true cross-border reporting. Our international ...
  • 04 Jan 2021 |

    Shift in Chinese energy investments set to help Greece reach climate targets

    04 Jan 2021, 14:06 Industry International China's engagement in the Greek energy sector was mainly directed at Piraeus port and fossil fuel power, but this is shifting following Greece's setting of a coal phase out date. After years of lagging ...
  • Three questions to Claire Stam, 91tv ambassador for France

    08 Nov 2019, 15:00 Martha Otwinowski Claire Stam Climate & CO2 Nuclear phase-out Renewables Finance International Claire Stam is in charge of the German edition of Brussels-based Euractiv. Her area of focus includes the clean energy transition, ...
  • Three questions to Nickolaus Bauer, 91tv Ambassador for South Africa

    04 Oct 2019, 12:30 Nickolaus Bauer Martha Otwinowski Renewables Business International Nickolaus Bauer is a freelance journalist and broadcaster who hunts down stories on the competing interests and economic challenges that prevent South Africa and the ...
  • Finding the energy transition story from the bottom up- guest piece Kwang-yin Liu

    29 May 2019, 17:32 Kwangyin Liu Bioenergy Citizens' energy Business Government How does a journalist cover the energy transition when the topic is contentious and there are few examples in both the public and private sector? Kwang-yin Liu found ...
  • At GETJO conference, journalists tackle the business of the energy transition

    17 Apr 2019, 11:48 Rose-Anne Clermont Energiewende Business & Jobs Reporters and media professionals from around the globe shared their diverse experiences in reporting on business and other angles of the energy transition at the second GETJO ...
  • 23 Aug 2019 |

    A sleeping giant finally awakening? Full weight of financial sector could crank up German climate action

    23 Aug 2019, 17:30 Benjamin Wehrmann Finance As 91tv sets out to explore the German finance sector's role in the country's climate and energy policy, I take a minute to reflect on what diving into this vast segment of the economy as ...
  • 25 Sep 2020 |
    EU

    Disentangle the EU energy transition: 91tv goes Europe

    25 Sep 2020, 16:18 Sven Egenter Julian Wettengel EU The EU has set out to drive the energy transition. The European "Green Deal" stands at the centre of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's policy plans, while other major ...
  • Three questions to Helena Raunio from Finland, 91tv Ambassador for the Nordic countries

    20 Sep 2019, 10:41 Martha Otwinowski Helena Raunio Fossil fuels Renewables International Helena Raunio is a freelance journalist in Finland. She covers subjects such as the energy transition, business, logistics, environmental topics and the circular ...
  • 05 Jun 2025 |

    Stay updated on online journalism and energy events

    05 Jun 2025, 17:20 Milou Dirkx International Events offer journalists the opportunity to learn, share and connect with sources and colleagues. At 91tv, we collect all online webinars, gatherings, meetings and conferences on energy transition, ...
  • 26 Apr 2019 |

    Leslie Wayne: “Dumb questions can end up being the smartest of all.”

    26 Apr 2019, 11:55 Rose-Anne Clermont Climate & CO2 Business Leslie Wayne is a former business reporter at The New York Times and has taught at New York University and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. She also worked for the International ...
  • BWE- German Wind Energy Association

    The BWE wants the Energiewende to continue and wind power to expand. It supports feed-in tariffs, which it hails as the key to the success of a growing share of renewables in German electricity consumption. It represents its 20,000 members both in ...
  • dena- German Energy Agency

    The German Energy Agency (Deutsche Energie-Agentur, Dena) is a profit-oriented company working on topics such as energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and intelligent energy systems and is funded by a large number of public and private investors. ...
  • 19 Oct 2021 |

    91tv on COP26 – How to best tell the Glasgow story

    19 Oct 2021 Berlin As the most important global climate summit in years fast approaches, journalists from across the globe must plan their coverage of this sprawling climate conference. No-one knows just how COVID-19 will affect the November COP26 in ...
  • 26 Jun 2017 |

    The future of gas in a decarbonised energy system

    26- 27 Jun 2017 Prenzlau Media study tour for journalists organised by the 91tv in cooperation with the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich                                                                                                  ...
  • 27 Jul 2021 |

    Covering climate: Journalism insights on the launch of the sixth IPCC report

    27 Jul 2021 Berlin Climate change will become a top theme of media coverage around the world in the latter half of 2021. As the IPCC will publish the first part of the sixth Assessment Report (AR6) in early August, every newsroom, media house and ...
  • 13 Jun 2021 |

    The future of the European car industry: the challenge of industrial transformation

    13- 18 Jun 2021 Online via Zoom Apply now for one of our limited spots! As e-car sales climb from one record to the next across the globe, the shift to electric mobility is firmly under way. The transformation will create a greener transport sector, but ...
  • 01 Dec 2020 |

    Carbon border tax: Will Europe build trade walls to save the climate?

    01 Dec 2020 Berlin Some see it as a climate policy panacea, others as just the right recipe for trade conflicts with partners across the globe: The European Union is working out plans to put a price on imported goods depending on the greenhouse gas ...
  • Call for cross-border journalism on green recovery

    01 Jul- 30 Sep 2021 Berlin APPLY FOR A 91tv CROSS-BORDER JOURNALISM GRANT!Governments worldwide are drafting up stimulus plans to counter the economic damages of the COVID-19 crisis. These stimulus packages will be essential to the global energy ...
  • Germany's Energiewende in brief

    0J Easy Guide The Energiewende – literally, the “energy turnaround” – is Germany’s effort to reduce climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions without relying on nuclear energy. It has enjoyed broad public backing and cross-party support, even as the ...
  • SPEAKERS at the Global Energy Transition Journalism Conference 2019 #GETJO19

    0A Conference Nickolaus Bauer Twitter: @NickolausBauer Nickolaus Bauer is an award-winning journalist for eNews Channel Africa (eNCA)- South Africa's premier 24 hour news channel. After a decade of experience as a journalist in South Africa, Bauer ...
  • The 91tv Team

        Sven Egenter  heads the team as Editor in Chief and Executive Director. He covered the German, Swiss and British economies during his 12 years at Reuters, writing extensively about the financial crisis. He ran the team covering the British economy as ...
  • Conference panellists and session chairs

      Please note: This list was compiled in preparation for the 91tv network conference "The Global Energy Transition: Is Journalism Ready?" in November 2017. Abaño, Imelda- President of Philippine Network of Environmental Journalists ...
  • Journalism for the energy transition

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