Germany shut down its last nuclear power plant, aiming for climate neutrality by 2045.

The country's energy transition aims to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change by expanding wind and solar power.

Germany aims to generate 80% of its electricity from renewables by 2030, allocating over 260 billion euros to support this goal.

The country's reliance on Russian gas has led to a major energy crisis amid the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Germany is seeking to diversify its energy sources, focusing on renewables and efficiency to reduce dependence on Russia.

The grid regulator proposes nationwide network costs, potentially increasing grid fees in areas with less clean energy production.

Germany's energy market is shifting to renewable sources to replace nuclear energy, requiring careful management to maintain security and stability.

Integrating renewable energy into the grid requires significant investment in smart grid technologies and infrastructure.

Germany's energy transition is a complex process requiring significant investment, policy support, and technological innovation.

The country aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2045 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change.

Germany passed a nuclear phaseout law in 2011 after Fukushima and aims to meet climate goals through renewable energy expansion.

Germany's energy transition focuses on improving efficiency and developing smart grid technologies.

The country's grid regulator is working to ensure a stable energy supply by integrating renewable sources and managing associated risks.

Germany is focused on developing renewable energy and improving efficiency, with no push to restart nuclear reactors.

Energy security remains guaranteed despite the nuclear phaseout, but integrating renewables requires significant grid investment.

Germany shut down its last nuclear power plant, aiming for climate neutrality by 2045.

Title:

Content: Three nuclear-fired power plants will be taken off the grid in Germany on Friday as part of the country's plan to end atomic power.

"The nuclear phaseout makes our country safer and helps to avoid radioactive waste," said Federal Environment and Nuclear Safety Minister Steffi Lemke.

"It is now essential to ... advance the search for a final repository for high-level radioactive waste as well as permanent solutions for low- and medium-level radioactive waste," the environment ministry said.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel speeded up the phaseout following the 2011 Fukushima accident in Japan.

Friday's shutdown affects power plants in Brokdorf in Schleswig-Holstein, Grohnde in Lower Saxony and Gundremmingen C in Bavaria.

Germany's remaining three nuclear plants — Emsland in Lower Saxony, Isar 2 in Bavaria and Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Württemberg — will be closed by the end of 2022 "at the latest," the environment ministry said.

"Since 2011, Germany has been drawing a line under a highly problematic technology in an orderly, reliable process," Lemke said.

Nuclear accounts for about 10 percent of Germany's electricity production. The shutdown has sparked criticism as Germany will have to dramatically ramp up renewable energy and has also increased its reliance on highly polluting coal-fired power.

"Security of supply in Germany continues to be guaranteed," said Robert Habeck, federal climate and economy minister. He added that reliable and "sustainably generated electricity" is a "central requirement for aligning our economy and industry toward climate neutrality."

That stance puts Berlin at loggerheads with France, where nuclear is the largest element of its energy mix (and also helps supply Germany).

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said in September that existing nuclear plants, which provide low-carbon electricity essential to the green transition, can be kept running "for two, five, 10 years," adding: "Why deprive ourselves of this production capacity?"

France is planning to scale down the share of nuclear in its electricity mix from 75 percent to 50 percent by 2035, but President Emmanuel Macron said in November that France "will restart the construction of nuclear reactors" while "continuing to develop renewable energies."

Macron also said France will invest €1 billion into research and development, notably into small modular reactors.

Belgium recently decided to shut down all its nuclear power plants by 2025, but plans to invest €100 million in new generation nuclear reactors and research.

More from ... Louise Guillot

The country's energy transition aims to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change by expanding wind and solar power.

Title:

Content: Alert
The secret identity of Hu Ge 's wife is revealed, "spend 3.5 million to learn makeup to attract him"
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How did the German model achieve an unbearable energy transition war across the sea?
【 By Fu Guanqi 】
Environmental awareness, green energy production has always been regarded as the world's superior Germany, but because of a Ukrainian-Russian war, let the bright achievements behind the unfinished business, exposed to the world.
Is this general review of energy security, ignited by war, a crisis or a turning point for Germany, which rose from the ashes of World War II? Can Germany break through the status quo and turn into a new model for a sustainable economy in the future?
Or is it a death on the road to transformation? How can Taiwan find its future direction from this “energy transition war ”?
Just after Christmas, for many Dodd families, the most wanted Christmas gift may be a heat pump to make the whole family better through the winter.
Unlike the tens of millions of domestic heating systems in Germany that still use natural gas or oil as fuel, heat pumps are powered by electricity, which can be seen as "reverse air conditioning", which has a higher thermal conversion efficiency and symbolizes energy access at a lower price.
The energy crisis caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War has become a watershed in the price of energy in Germany.
The past dependence on Russia to import a large amount of cheap energy can not be returned, and the international carbon pricing mechanism is increasingly complete, which has led Germany to realize that only green energy is the way to reduce energy prices again.
The "Vision" team traveled to Germany, in-depth interviews and observed that the consensus that permeates German society today is: "There is not much time for the energy transition, and we must accelerate progress."
German Green Party MP Till Steffen, who visited Taiwan in 2022, told Visionary that "this' energy crisis' has accelerated the 'energy transition' and become a priority for the government."
German Economy Accelerates Greening, Renewable Energy Becomes National Security Foundation
This is not just a matter of paper. At the end of 2022, Germany inaugurated the country ’ s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal.
Germany decided last spring to build it, and it could be completed in a few months. “This is super fast for Germany, ” Steffen said.“ We need to scale up renewable energy at the same rate. ”
If you make decisions at the slow pace of your past habits, you won ’ t be able to achieve the goals you set. ”
In the past, far less ambitious than the Green Party ’ s liberal finance minister, Christian Lindner, has also designated renewable energy as “free energy ”, emphasizing its function to enhance Germany ’ s energy security and economic independence.
In this context, the two pillars of the energy transition, "switching to renewable energy" and "improving energy efficiency", have also become the top priorities of enterprises in the country.
Even the German machine tool manufacturer MAG, a pioneer of Industry 4.0, has re-examined energy conservation and is preparing to install solar panels on its plant.
“Many investment plans are being reevaluated because of higher energy prices, ” explains Sebastian Schoning, MAG ’ s head of Europe & Americas.“ Many investments that were previously unprofitable are now justified. ”
Solar panels that can be used for their own use and can be sold for electricity have been greatly shortened, and with tax incentives, large and small businesses and families have been selling out; installation technicians are so hot that waiting in line has become a new normal in the last few months.
Yen Chien-ho, general manager of the German branch of FSP, which has been operating solar energy storage business for more than six years from Taiwan, revealed that the green energy product line is already the main revenue of the company, and it is estimated that by 2023, solar related products can grow by 50%.
Quanhan also saw the business opportunities of green energy vehicles in Europe and decided to set up a new R & D center in Germany to attack customized charging devices.
Another Taiwanese company that has been working in Germany for ten years, Servo Press Co., Ltd. is also favored by European customers due to the fact that the product consumes about 50% less power than traditional presses, and is expected to double its business performance in 2023.
Germany has been driving the energy transition for decades. The driving force of this energy crisis is mainly reflected in the change of mentality and the re-calculation of business interests.
First, in terms of mentality, Germany used to import about 60% of its energy, and is more heavily dependent on cheap fossil fuels from Russia.
However, when energy is no longer so readily available, it has also greatly changed the German society's view of energy: in the past, everyone saw renewable energy as a threat to the stability of electricity supply, and now it is an important basis for protecting national security.
Second, in the eyes of enterprises, green energy has become the only energy source that can maintain long-term competitiveness.
"We all know that there is no future for fossil fuels," said Markus Rosenthal, director of government relations at the German Association for Energy Storage Systems. He cited the withdrawal of Allianz, Germany 's largest insurance company, and the active investment of major banks in decarbonization technology as examples. The effect of greening the German economy is greater than anyone else. "
Many may have heard of Germany ’ s Energiewende vision after the Fukushima disaster.
But such a concept has taken root in Germany ’ s anti-nuclear movement since the 1970s.
Since then, the Green Party movement has developed with the greatest political influence in the world.
GREEN ENERGY GREEN ENERGY CHALLENGE 1: Lack of work, insufficient capacity of Northern Power South
The Renewable Energy Act (EEG), which came into force in 2000, made Germany the first major economy to promote renewable energy.
Over the next 20 years, the proportion of renewable energy supply has grown significantly from 6% to 46%, and this remarkable achievement has become an international model case for promoting energy transformation.
However, the model of the period of peace seems to be unable to withstand the test of war, and Germany still fell into the dilemma of energy crisis in the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine and the weaponization of energy are certainly uncontrollable factors.
But the German society's caution against nuclear energy has also made Germany more dependent on relatively clean natural gas during the period of phasing out coal.
“We are over-reliant on fossil fuels and the development of renewable energy over the past few years has been too slow, ” said Malte Kuper, energy and climate policy researcher at the German Institute for Economic Research (IW).“ We must accelerate the correction of the structural errors of energy policy over the past decade. ”
Wilhelm Kiewitt, Director of Energy Economics at 50Hertz, a German power grid company, said: “We are vigorously promoting the construction of renewable energy, but we have not updated the grid infrastructure and have not ensured that the design of the electricity market is compatible.
As a result, the energy transition is not doing well. ”
Wind power located on the northern coast of Germany has so far been difficult to reach the industrial heartland of the south because the government has spent too much time coordinating with the residents of the south to accept high-voltage cables cutting through their beautiful landscapes.
The lack of capacity of Northern Power South has become a key missing piece in the German energy puzzle.
In addition, the political lobbying power of fossil fuel companies and strict regulations on onshore wind power have also slowed down the pace of transformation in Germany.
A few months ago, there was a demolition of nearby windmills to expand coal mines in North Wales. Although the efficiency of these windmills was low and they were expected to be rebuilt and upgraded, environmentalists criticized this as a retrograde policy in the midst of the energy crisis.
But the lack of urgency may be the key factor in Germany ’ s gradual deviation from its goal.
According to the German government ’ s 2021 forecast, all sectors, from energy, industry and agriculture, will not be able to meet the 2030 climate goals on the basis of current carbon reduction actions.
In terms of new technology, even if Germany began hydrogen energy research more than 30 years ago, it has not been able to enter the expansion.
Thomas Hilig, founder of THEnergy in Germany and a hydrogen energy consultant, pointed out that “we have studied hydrogen energy thoroughly and want to know everything. ”
But it may be possible to start expanding sooner.
Indeed, now is the time to launch the app. ”
The impact of high energy prices and increasingly extreme weather have become a reality in Germany, forcing the country, accustomed to sound and prudent action, to admit its mistakes and shortcomings and accelerate the progress of the energy transition.
The question is, is it in time?
Opening a recent German newspaper will find that a crisis is not necessarily a turning point.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for 99% of the total number of German enterprises, are struggling, and many companies may not be able to survive.
A survey of companies released by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) in the summer of 2022 shows that due to high energy prices, 1 / 4 of enterprises have completed the deployment of production reduction, 1 / 4 have reduced the scale of operations, and the remaining half have not yet begun to act, and are still thinking about the corresponding steps.
At present, the German government has finalized a nearly 100 billion euro energy bill subsidy plan, but Asha Maria Sharma, deputy director of digital services at the Foreign Trade and Investment Agency, believes that financial subsidies are only part of the solution, companies must think about how to use AI, data analysis and other technologies to save energy, in order to remain competitive in the future when energy prices are higher.
However, the resources and financial power of SMEs are not as good as those of multinational enterprises, and it is not easy to face inflation, interest rate hikes, the impact on the dollar exchange rate and energy prices, and to devote more efforts to long-term investment layout.
For example, when the Covid-19 pandemic spread, Alexander Krug, the public relations manager in charge of the Berlin Digital Center for SMEs, observed that about a third of SMEs were suspending or even cancelling strategic digital investments that would bear fruit in the medium to long term.
Moreover, in the global semiconductor shortage, many small and medium-sized enterprises are competing for similar chips with the government-supported renewable energy industry, as well as Germany ’ s powerful automotive industry.
In terms of money and resources, it is difficult to win.
Cooper said that in the long term, the energy crisis can be an accelerator of the energy transition.
But for an industrial powerhouse like Germany, which has a high proportion of energy-intensive industries, there is also a risk that “industry may decline before the green energy transition is complete. ”
Many homes waiting for solar panel technicians to install their doors also reveal another risk: lack of work.
“If you ask a business, what ’ s the biggest question about operations? Almost every time the answer is, ‘ We need people. ’ ”
Especially in the areas of green energy and digital technology, which are crucial to driving transformation, there is a particular lack of technical talent.
Many countries in Europe have a shortage of jobs.
However, in the manufacturing sector, more than 40% of enterprises in Germany are understaffed.
In comparison, France is less than 25%, and Italy and Spain are less than 10%.
Even the director of the German public broadcaster said recently: "We have to recruit people from all over the world... even the German level of the candidates is not so important."
As long as I work hard, I don ’ t worry too much that they can only speak a few words of German. ”
GREEN ENERGY GREEN ENERGY CHALLENGE 2: Higher energy costs, the United States proposed a bill to reduce inflation and siphon off international investment
The evolution of the international situation has also made the adverse situation worse.
The European war is still raging, the epidemic is still hazy, and the tensions between the United States and China have caused Germany, formerly the beneficiary of free trade and international supply chains, to reverse the situation and increase the pressure.
In particular, in August 2022, the United States passed the $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act, proposing a simpler and more attractive subsidy specification than the European Union, which is likely to siphon off more international investment at a time when Germany urgently needs to accelerate the expansion of renewable energy.
Some scholars wonder whether Germany will be able to complete the energy transition that it failed to achieve during a period of relative stability in the face of many challenges.
Only recently did Germany significantly expand public spending to help society weather the epidemic. To date, it has allocated more than 260 billion euros in response to the energy crisis.
This is almost 7% of national GDP, well above the EU average of 83 billion euros.
Meanwhile, Germany is still trying to boost its defense budget to 2% of GDP.
Even if the money is relatively abundant, it is also pressure.
Reinhard Biedermann, a professor in the Department of Global Political Economy at Tamkang University, pointed out that to develop enough renewable energy to replace traditional energy sources requires a lot of investment, manpower and even land, which Germany cannot do at the same time.
“The energy crisis is really an opportunity to expand renewable energy.
But turning the crisis into a turning point is not so simple.
Germany depends not only on imports of fossil fuels, but also on imports of renewable energy.
After the decline of the German solar industry, about 95% of the domestic solar cells are manufactured in China.
Nordex shut down Germany ’ s last wind turbine turnstile plant in June 2022, taking into account costs, causing observers to worry that the wind energy industry may be heading toward a fate similar to that of the solar industry.
Steffen said that due to competition from China, the German solar industry has lost a lot of intellectual and political power, and now is the time to reinvigorate the domestic solar value chain.
“We still have capacity in wind energy, but we can ’ t find a market in our country because Chinese products are cheaper, ” Steffen said.
In some ways, the energy crisis is just beginning.
As the Visionary team rode a high-speed rail at a speed of nearly 300 kilometers across the edge of Germany ’ s beloved forest, they were greeted by rotating fans, solar panels laid on the roof of the building, and high-voltage power towers that transmit electricity over a long distance.
This has gradually become a familiar daily scene in German society.
At this point, it may be seen as an important milestone in the final completion of Germany ’ s energy transition, but it may also be the starting point for the decline of German industry.
Looking back at the challenges of the pandemic, companies in Dodd all agree that agility, flexibility and flexibility are essential skills to survive in the current changing environment.
In particular, German industry contributes more than a quarter of the country ’ s GDP, which is higher than developed countries such as France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
But strengthening the high-priced “Made in Germany ” brand with performance, quality and stability is threatened by higher energy costs.
Steffen acknowledged that many Dodd companies use cheap Russian energy to produce and then sell their products at high prices to the U.S. and mid-market.
This is similar to the common pattern in Taiwan.
Taiwan 's green energy students > risk assessment first, transformation needs to think about the overall order
Sucheta Govil, chief commercial officer of Covestro, observed that energy is already a global issue and resource constraints are becoming the foreseeable future. “Even if you are in Asia, energy prices are still cheap, but price increases are reflected in the supply chain. ”
This advantage is diluted by rising raw material costs, even if Germany considers itself to be of excellent mechanical engineering quality. ”
Even if Germany has only recently begun to cope with the energy crisis, the effectiveness of the policy measures will have to wait for time to prove, and there are still lessons for Taiwan.
First, understand your energy security and independence and conduct a risk assessment.
Leonard believes that encouraging energy conservation by raising energy prices and using this income to invest more in renewable energy is worth considering.
“Explaining to people the higher energy costs they pay will help develop renewable energy and improve energy security. ”
Second, think about the sequence of measures for the energy transition as a whole, and put limited resources in the right place at the right time.
Hans-Joachim Ziesing, a former energy transition consultant for Germany ’ s Future Energy Plan, shared that one of Germany ’ s mistakes was to set a good goal and vision before developing policies to be achieved.
A better approach might be to take a practical approach, clarify the quantitative benefits that each policy can bring, and determine that cross-party consensus can be reached to move forward together.
It is also important to continuously monitor the performance of data and to be accountable to all departments.
Hiliger observed that Germany ’ s national hydrogen energy strategy in 2020 shows that officials have learned from the siting of renewable energy and energy transportation.
“Many projects take production and consumption into account as a whole, for example, by making good use of existing construction, refurbishing natural gas pipelines to become hydrogen pipelines, rather than placing electrolytic tanks next to wind power plants. ”
Preparing businesses and citizens to move away from fossil fuels
Finally, it is the continuation of the momentum of social change.
In the past, Germany saw natural gas as a “bridging energy ” to connect fossil fuels with renewable energy; now, losing its main source of natural gas imports, it has had to restart coal plants and lease liquid-gas receiving stations.
After doing so, it may be harder to get rid of them in the future.
Ideally, when the hydrogen energy market matures, Germany can renovate this batch of liquid natural gas receiving stations into hydrogen energy receiving stations.
But the two are different energy sources after all, and the renovation will be another expense.
Whether it can be developed according to the plan is still uncertain.
After the government finalizes the energy subsidy policy, from the beginning of 2023 to April 2024, 80% of the bill will be protected by the price cap, and users will only pay 20% of the current price.
This will change people ’ s interest.
How to make good use of the incentive mechanism to encourage society to continue to promote energy conservation and transformation at the household, business and infrastructure levels is also a big test.
Although Taiwan, which has a higher industrial share than Germany, has yet to personally feel the waves of the European energy crisis, it will be crucial to be as prepared and adapted as possible to the future of higher fossil fuel prices before the price protection umbrella for long-term contracts ends.
Read more articles from Visionary Magazine:
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Germany aims to generate 80% of its electricity from renewables by 2030, allocating over 260 billion euros to support this goal.

The country's reliance on Russian gas has led to a major energy crisis amid the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Germany is seeking to diversify its energy sources, focusing on renewables and efficiency to reduce dependence on Russia.

The grid regulator proposes nationwide network costs, potentially increasing grid fees in areas with less clean energy production.

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Europe's Insatiable Hunger for LNG

Europe is consuming large amounts…

German Grid Regulator Plans to Spread Clean Energy Costs Across All Regions

Consumers in Germany’s states with lower clean energy production may end up paying higher grid fees as the regulator plans to spread out evenly among regions the higher costs of adding renewables to the system.

The Federal Network Agency, Bundesnetzagentur, proposed on Friday a plan to evenly distribute the higher costs of adding a lot of renewable energy generation to the grid.

This essentially means that German states in the north of the country, where most of the onshore wind power is generated, would pay lower grid fees. But the large industrial consumers in the south of Germany, as well as households, may end up paying more in grid fees per kilowatt-hour, according to the plan.

Renewable energy sources are expected to generate more than 50% of Germany’s electricity this year, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in September. By 2030, Germany aims to have renewables account for 80% of its electricity generation, Habeck said.

“Regions that generate significantly more renewable electricity than they consume incur significant network costs,” Klaus Müller, the president of the network regulator, said

The regulator proposes that these network fees be reduced for regions with high renewables share and distributed nationwide “in a spirit of solidarity,” he added.

“In regions that generate significantly more electricity than they consume, there are considerable costs for upgrading the grid. At the same time, the electricity not only supplies the region, but also the whole of Germany,” the regulator in its rationale for the proposal.

“The network fees in these regions should decrease. On the other hand, this leads to manageable additional costs for all electricity consumers in Germany,” Bundesnetzagentur added.

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The regulator is now seeking feedback on the proposal until January 31, 2024. It will announce its decision on the appropriate distribution of the grid fees in the third quarter of 2024. If the plan wins approval, it would come into effect on January 1, 2025, at the earliest.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Germany's energy market is shifting to renewable sources to replace nuclear energy, requiring careful management to maintain security and stability.

Title:

Content: Industry Voice: Energy independence drive could impact renewables adoption

• 6 min read

The devastating war in Ukraine has dramatically increased the need for energy independence in the European Union, which today announced a plan to reduce its reliance on Russian gas. This will require more use of fossil fuels in the short term, but long-term should accelerate the switch to renewables.

Amidst the horrifying war in Ukraine and the likely escalation of sanctions, European governments are rushing to find ways to reduce their dependence on Russian gas, through reopening or delaying closure of coal plants in Europe, and finding other sources of gas. Near-term, emissions and costs will rise as a result.

Simultaneously, countries and companies are looking for ways to mitigate their exposure to higher oil and gas prices through greater efficiency, more use of lower-cost alternatives such as renewables and investment in nuclear.

‘The wind and sun belong to no one' German economy minister and Green Party member Robert Habeck noted recently.

The International Energy Agency last week launched a 10-point plan on how to reduce reliance on Russian gas, advocating measures such as rerouting to other gas suppliers, increasing gas storage, accelerating wind and solar development, maximising existing generation from bioenergy and nuclear power, and speeding up the rollout of heat pumps to replace gas boilers. And today, the EU announced a plan for achieving energy independence "well before 2030" through greater use of LNG and energy storage, and swifter adoption of renewables.

In the long term, therefore, we expect the increased emphasis on energy independence, in addition to the structural move towards ‘net zero', to accelerate the energy transition.

Emissions likely to rise in the near term

In the short term, the push for independence will generate higher emissions given the EU's current energy mix (see chart 1). The EU relies on Russia for 40 per cent of its gas (90 per cent of all its gas is imported). The supply gap cannot be entirely filled by switching to alternative gas providers, and it takes time to build wind and solar plants. So it will have to consider other fossil fuels.

Germany, for example, has announced that it could delay the planned closure of some coal-fired plants and even consider extending the life of nuclear plants, though legal and technical impediments may make this impossible. Germany decided to phase out its nuclear capacity in 2011, following the Fukushima disaster - a decision that made the country more reliant on Russian gas.

In Italy, meanwhile, Prime Minister Mario Draghi has said the country would consider re-opening coal plants, and is seeking to increase domestic gas production, which had fallen in recent years. Enel, Italy's biggest utility, has been closing coal-fired plants in line with its targets for a complete exit from coal by 2027, and has so far not revealed any plans to re-open coal. We engaged with the company last week and it remains committed to its long-term goals for decarbonisation while acknowledging the near-term uncertainty. It has also announced that it will change plans to convert two coal-fired plants to gas, and will instead explore the possibility of re-purposing them into renewable energy storage infrastructure.

European utilities generally are likely to increase energy storage for both gas and renewables as well as sourcing more gas from North Africa and the Middle East.

Accelerating renewables to achieve independence and net zero

As well as seeking alternative sources of fossil fuels, European countries have signalled long-term plans to accelerate the move towards net zero.

Germany, which previously had a net zero target of 2040, has now brought this forward to 2035, and believes it can achieve 80 per cent of its target by 2030. German climate minister Oliver Krischer tweeted about the change as a way to stand with Ukraine. Other European countries have indicated similar intentions, though so far, no others have re-stated their net zero target.

At the time of writing, there has been little actual disruption of oil and gas supply to Europe. However, countries are positioning themselves for that eventuality and prices have risen significantly as a result. This provides further incentive to switch to lower-cost power.

Over recent years, the building and operational cost of renewable technology has fallen significantly, making an acceleration of net zero targets financially feasible. The cost of solar energy, for example, has fallen by around 80 per cent in the last 10 years. An increase in investment and the application of engineering expertise in highly skilled economies like Germany could drive costs down further. Planning approval processes could also be expedited to reflect the urgency of the geopolitical and environmental need.

Obstacles remain

That said, the prices of mainstream commodities needed for the transition (such as steel and aluminium) were already rising prior to the invasion of Ukraine on the back of high demand post Covid-19, and have risen even further in the last few weeks.

Rare metals needed for electric motors, photovoltaic cells and batteries could be particularly sensitive to price squeezes as production is concentrated within two countries - Russia and China. Retaining access to these key supply chains will be critical to a successful transition to renewables.

Intermittency, meanwhile, remains an issue. The irregular output of wind and solar assets means significant advances in storage technologies will be necessary to drive universal adoption.

Following the Ukraine invasion, markets are beginning to reflect this increased need. For example, recent moves in share prices of hydrogen electrolysis stocks suggest some investors now believe this technology, as yet unproven at scale, will one day provide part of the answer.

As the war continues to unfold in Ukraine, the benefits of moving away from an energy system dependent on imported fossil fuels have become even clearer. While there are still challenges ahead for the transition, we can hope that in the not-too-distant future, Europe's energy grid will be both cleaner and more self-sufficient.

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Integrating renewable energy into the grid requires significant investment in smart grid technologies and infrastructure.

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Energy.
Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Electric Power
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Issam bin Abdulaziz Al-Ammar
Posted in: Last Updated:
In the previous article, we talked about artificial intelligence and what the vision of its applications can yield in everyday scenarios such as retail purchase forecasts and online customer support interactions.
Let ’ s look at the most important applications of artificial intelligence in a very important aspect of our lives: electric power, which is the backbone of the national economy.
Electricity around the world is facing increasing challenges related to increasing demand, falling efficiency, changing consumption patterns, increasing population and economic growth, lack of necessary data and analysis, weak and aging infrastructure, and more.
These challenges have been most acute in emerging market countries, where poor efficiency is particularly problematic, and the energy sector in developed countries has already begun to adopt artificial intelligence and use related technologies, which allow connectivity between smart network components, such as IoT devices, as these technologies can help improve energy management, raise efficiency and increase the use of renewable energy sources.
The use of AI in the electric power sector reaches emerging markets, to have a decisive impact in addressing most challenges in the electric power sector, because AI simply has the ability to reduce electricity waste and costs, facilitate the use of renewable energy sources in electric grids, and accelerate them to provide distinctive functions, such as forecasting, monitoring, verification, estimation, etc.
Predicting the occurrence and location of faults is one of the main applications of AI in the electric power sector, along with maintenance, scheduling and timings.
Electrical equipment failures, such as generating units, networks, transformers, cables, substations, etc., are common occurrences with serious consequences, so artificial intelligence, together with the right sensors, can be useful in monitoring equipment and detecting faults before they occur, thus protecting lives and saving resources, effort and time.
Preventing and avoiding disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes and volatile weather phenomena, is an effective application in predicting them, as is the case in some US states famous for the seasonal hurricane belt. The most important applications of artificial intelligence are based on the prevention of non-technical waste boldly and efficiently by stopping tampering, theft and illegal delivery, including the management, evaluation, maintenance, updating and disposal of electrical network assets. To manage their consumption because of the ability of the technology to know the total costs of the future invoice.
As for electric vehicles, artificial intelligence has found its way through autonomous driving and the ability to stop and park the vehicle automatically.
The electric power sector has a promising future with the advent of smart grids that can be managed smartly and efficiently by artificial intelligence.
Because smart electrical grids allow two-way communication between utilities and consumers, they include an information layer that allows communication between its various components so that it can better respond to rapid changes in electricity demand.
With data analysis through artificial intelligence, smart grids help improve reliability, security, and efficiency of electricity transmission and distribution.
Artificial intelligence can also help predict renewable energy production for its ability to improve the reliability of solar and wind power, by analyzing vast amounts of meteorological data, making predictions and making decisions about when to collect, store and distribute wind and solar power.
Artificial intelligence is used to help balance the electrical grid, where its components are analyzed by processing intermittent modules and helping to decongest the grid, which is already useful for the network operator.
In the field of energy efficiency improvement, artificial intelligence monitors the consumption of electricity in buildings and factories in order to control, evaluate and manage its consumption.
Therefore, AI has the ability to control the use of electricity during peak hours, and even identify and signal the sources of high consumption by detecting the faults of building equipment before they occur.
The Kingdom is witnessing significant economic, industrial, commercial and population growth, which in turn leads to increased demand for electricity, and the high growth rate is expected to continue at a similar rate in the coming years.
As a result, there is a need to increase electricity generation and maintain the security and reliability of the Kingdom ’ s electricity supply systems while maintaining high fuel efficiency.
AI can play a pivotal role in conducting a comprehensive assessment of the Kingdom ’ s electricity requirements for the coming years, studying optimal electricity generation scenarios taking into account all commercially available energy sources, and drawing up interim plans for the implementation of works and estimating their costs and expected cash flows.
AI has the potential to improve the generation, transmission, distribution and consumption of electricity in helping emerging economies, which face multiple challenges in terms of efficiency, affordability and integration of renewable energy sources into electrical grids.
Enabling artificial intelligence at electrical service providers will require massive data, solid infrastructure and cloud computing to expand data analysis, as well as qualified human capabilities to work in artificial intelligence technology, and it must be noted that artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things complement each other in many functions and tasks.
Despite the emergence of smart networks more than two decades ago, AI is still slowly gaining ground, perhaps due to a lack of will and capabilities, a lack of a clear digital strategy, or perhaps a weak infrastructure or a lack of capacity.
* Quoted from "Economic Journal"
Disclaimer: All published articles represent the opinion of their authors only.
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Germany's energy transition is a complex process requiring significant investment, policy support, and technological innovation.

The country aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2045 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change.

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Content: Interview: “The biggest problem in the development of electric vehicles is not raw materials ” | Economic Horizontal | DW | 19.02.2023
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Interview: "The biggest problem in the development of electric vehicles is not raw materials"
Lithium, cobalt, rare earth and other resources are very rich, what problems are restricting the development of the electric vehicle industry?
Matthias Buchert, an expert at the German Ecological Institute, said in an interview with Deutsche Welle that the biggest bottleneck in the development of electric vehicles is how quickly the automotive industry is transforming.
Experts predict that by 2030, more than 200 million electric vehicles will be produced worldwide.
DW: The popularity of electric cars seems to be growing faster than predicted.
Previously, experts predicted that by 2030, the world will produce about 130 million pure electric vehicles.
That estimate has now been raised to more than 200 million.
Mr. Bucht, is there enough raw material to put so many new electric cars on the road?
Bucht: There are enough reserves of raw materials around the world, and resource constraints are not the problem.
Of course, there may be temporary shortages in the industrial chain.
Whether in the actual mining of raw materials or in the process of processing raw materials into finished products, if the demand suddenly rises sharply (they may face short-term problems).
But this does not mean that the whole market will collapse, but rising demand will bring market bumps.
We experienced a shortage of semiconductors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At that time, there were temporary bottlenecks in chips for cars and electronic devices, with deliveries of some vehicles delayed for more than a year.
For electric vehicles, people will of course ask whether there will be a shortage of important raw materials for a long time.
In this regard, experts from the German Mineral Resources Agency believe that the biggest problem lies in lithium, which is a key element of lithium-ion batteries.
I would think this situation is a reminder that the supply side needs to pick up the pace to keep up with the rapidly growing demand.
DW: Do you think this will work?
Bucht: Let ’ s talk about lithium.
At present, lithium is mainly mined in Australia and Chile, and a smaller amount is mined in China.
In the two major mining countries (Australia and Chile), geopolitical instability is unlikely.
In fact, there are many lithium mines in the United States, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe, but so far only a small amount has been mined in Portugal.
There are also potential mining possibilities in Finland, Austria, Serbia, Spain, Portugal and France.
In Italy and Germany, it is ideal to exploit lithium-rich, high-temperature deep groundwater.
Finnish nickel mine: a new hope for electric cars in Europe?
DW: You mean, you think the raw materials sector is mainly a relatively manageable risk and problem?
So, what about the energy supply side? More electric cars will also consume more electricity.
Bucht: Electric cars are very efficient.
If the car industry as a whole and many commercial vehicles are powered by electricity, then it is predicted that the total electricity consumption will not be ten times what it is today, but will only increase by about a third compared to the current total electricity demand in Germany.
Moreover, there is still a great potential for saving electricity, for example in the field of lighting or by replacing old appliances (using a new generation of more energy-efficient appliances).
This also applies to the industrial sector.
Dr. Matthias Buchert, an expert at the German Institute of Ecology
DW: In terms of heating, due to the installation of a heating system with heat pumps, more and more electricity will be consumed in the future. Is the electricity enough?
Bucht: This is the second important area that will certainly be covered.
In the industrial sector, due to the increasing use of green hydrogen energy and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, the demand for electricity is also rising, which requires a large amount of clean electricity.
This is why the EU and German governments want to expand photovoltaic and wind power plants on a large scale.
These are major challenges, and we have not had much time left, not 50 years.
(Germany) The federal government's goal to expand renewable energy has recently been tightened and tightened considerably.
I think in the last 10, 15 years, a lot of time has been wasted.
That ’ s why everything is moving faster in the future.
DW: Electric vehicles also need more charging stations and larger grid capacity.
Think of those debates about whether power supply should be limited at certain peak times, for example, by restricting charging electric vehicles or heating with heat pumps because the grid may not have enough capacity at certain peak times.
Bucht: It really is.
Conversely, at other times, our grid tends to have excess power.
We just need a better balanced system, that is, an intelligent system.
Then, the (electric) car may not start charging at 7 pm, because this is the peak of electricity, and it only starts charging at midnight.
As for the additional charging stations (electric vehicles) needed, research has shown that there is less need for fast charging devices in public places, as many electric vehicles are charged in the parking lot of the home or office.
Of course, this does not mean ignoring the expansion of public charging infrastructure.
But we must also be careful not to confine ourselves to problems that we would otherwise be able to cope with.
DW: But if people don't know if there are enough charging stations, will they still buy electric cars?
Bucht: Of course, the charging infrastructure needs to be expanded as soon as possible, and there needs to be more charging stations.
This requires public authorities to work with private investors in the energy sector.
In addition, the energy industry recently said that the utilization rate of existing charging stations has been greatly improved, which of course can increase the profit margin.
Super cool! German amphibious electric vehicle
DW: If you are an expert, draw up a ranking list.
From today's perspective, what factors are the biggest obstacles to the popularization of electric vehicles?
What is the biggest problem at the moment?
Bucht: The biggest problem is probably that supply lags behind demand.
In addition, some politicians say there are other options besides electric vehicles, such as using synthetic fuels for internal combustion engines.
But this is technically obsolete.
In the car sector, the use of synthetic fuels (E-Fuels) – even if one day yields enough – is too inefficient.
The real challenge is the huge transformation of the automotive industry.
Hundreds of billions of euros will have to be redistributed.
Look at battery production, which so far has mostly been done in Asia.
Europe wants to build more than 30 large factories for the production of electric vehicle batteries, more than half a dozen in Germany alone.
It requires a huge investment.
We also need battery cell components, that is, cathode materials, anode materials, etc.
To this end, Europe ’ s production capacity must also be increased faster.
We have to go further back to raw materials through intermediate materials that come from hard rock, salt lakes or deep geothermal energy, like lithium.
In my opinion, there is too little discussion about electric motors.
The production of electric motors requires so-called permanent magnets, which in turn require rare earths.
So far, China has a strong position in magnet production.
The United States, Europe and Australia all have a lot of room for improvement, which is why huge strategic changes are needed here, and the term “turn of the age ” fits well here.
DW: You think there are still a lot of problems that need to be solved in the development of electric vehicles.
This may be only a small consolation, but the fact is that the internal combustion engine cars we know today took quite a while to develop.
Bucht: It's like that.
The difference is that in the current situation, the time pressure is very high.
According to EU regulations, from 2035, only new cars with zero emissions can be sold, which means they are actually entirely electric vehicles.
Germany wants to be climate-neutral by 2045, so it is best to have no diesel locomotives on the road.
Therefore, we have at most 10 to 15 years to achieve these goals, which is not easy.
Matthias Buchert is Head of Resources and Mobile Transport at the German Ecological Institute (Öko-Institut).
The Institute advises the Government of Germany and has offices in Freiburg, Darmstadt and Berlin.
Deutsche Welle is committed to providing you with objective and neutral news coverage, as well as commentary analysis from a variety of perspectives.
The commentary and analysis in this article represent only the author ’ s or expert ’ s personal position.
© 2023 Deutsche Welle Copyright Notice: All content in this article is protected by copyright law and may not be used without special permission from Deutsche Welle.
Any misconduct will lead to recovery and criminal prosecution.
DW.COM

Germany passed a nuclear phaseout law in 2011 after Fukushima and aims to meet climate goals through renewable energy expansion.

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Content: This content is not available in your region
Germany closes three nuclear power plants
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Lev Udolsky
Copyright AP Photo / Heribert Proepper
With the end of the year, the phase-out of nuclear energy in Germany is entering a new phase.
On December 31, three nuclear power plants will be disconnected from the grid, including the Brockdorf nuclear power plant, located in the north of the country.
Its construction, begun in the 1980s, already caused a lot of protests.
The management of the company regrets its closure.
“In recent days, the mood has been very sad, ” says Guido Nott, chairman of PreussenElektra.
We have been running this station for 35 years.
We monitored her condition, maintained at the highest technical level and always ensured the safety of her work.
Meanwhile, among opponents of the use of nuclear energy, the closure of the nuclear power plant does not cause any sadness:
“I feel a calm but constant joy that this facility is now closed, ” says Karsten Hinrichsen, an activist.
Some have asked if victory has been won.
I say no, because it took too much time.
The ban on the operation of nuclear power plants in Germany was adopted after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima in 2011.
During the vote in the Bundestag, this initiative was supported by 513 out of 600 deputies.
The oldest reactors were shut down immediately, and the shutdown of the remaining nine was decided to proceed in stages.
Following three nuclear power plants located in Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, which will stop generating electricity this year, the remaining three will be shut down by the end of next year.
At the same time, the work related to the NPP shutdown will continue for several more years, since the dismantling of the stations is a very complex and lengthy procedure.
Meanwhile, the country plans to increasingly switch to renewable energy sources.
It is estimated that by 2030, 80% of electricity will be generated by wind turbines, solar panels or biogas plants.

Germany's energy transition focuses on improving efficiency and developing smart grid technologies.

The country's grid regulator is working to ensure a stable energy supply by integrating renewable sources and managing associated risks.

Germany is focused on developing renewable energy and improving efficiency, with no push to restart nuclear reactors.

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Content: Everything that changes in Germany in 2023

The Local - [email protected] • 28 Dec, 2022 Updated Wed 28 Dec 2022 16:17 CEST

From large tax cuts to better cope with rising inflation to new benefits for employees, there are a slew of changes coming as we enter 2023 on Sunday. Here are the top ones, and how they affect people in Germany.

Taxes and benefits changes

With Germany’s federal government now in its second year in office, 2023 will see the rollout of many campaign promises all three parties made on taxes and benefits—as well as additional measures to help mitigate rocketing inflation.

Some are designed to transfer more money to the recipients through various benefits, while others allow you to keep more of your earnings in the first place.

Basic tax-free allowance to increase

The Grundfreibetrag – or “basic allowance” – refers to how much money you can make in a year before being subject to tax. With steady increases over the last few years, the first €10,347 a person made in Germany in 2022 was subject to no tax at all, with the money made on top of that being taxable. In 2023, that number will increase by €561 to €10,908.

Higher income threshold before entering top tax rates

Currently, earning €58,597 annually puts you into the high income tax bracket. Any earnings over this threshold are subject to the top tax rate of 42 percent. Starting next year, the threshold of what someone in Germany has to earn before paying a 42 percent rate increases by more than €3,000 to €61,972 annually. This measure is designed to help avoid what's known as 'cold progression', where pay rises are eaten up by inflation but people are still taxed on their extra earnings. However, this won't affect the special tax rate for the very wealthy. That threshold starts at €277,836 annually and will remain the same.

Home Office tax credit to go up

Currently, you can claim up to €600 a year in tax credits for working at home, with €5 allocated per day you work at home up to the maximum. This is meant to offset certain costs, such as heating, that can go up because you’re at home more. In 2023, this amount will increase to €6 a day up to 210 days, meaning people can write off up to €1,260 a year, according to Germany's Finance Ministry.

Germany's traffic light coalition will roll out several new tax measures in 2023 - designed to allow people to keep more of the money they earn. Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Automatic expense deductions to go up

The lump sum for income-related expenses - known in German as the Arbeitnehmer-Pauschale - will be increased to €1,230 as of January 1st. This is the amount of expenses that tax offices automatically deduct from employees' earnings when they fill in a tax return, meaning receipts aren't required for things like office supplies and travel costs up to this amount. January will mark the second time this lump sum has been raised in the past year: it was raised retrospectively from €1,000 to €1,200 for 2022 as part of the first relief package.

Pension contributions to become tax-deductible, but health insurance contributions to rise

Starting in 2023, money you pay into your pension will be completely tax deductible, reducing your overall tax burden.

But it's not all good news. Many of Germany’s public health insurance funds – put under strain due to the pandemic’s costs – are upping their so-called additional health insurance contributions (or 'premiums') from next year. Previously, statutory health insurers were only allowed to charge an additional 1.3 percent on top of the basic contribution of 14.6 percent of income. From next year, that figure will increase to 1.6 percent - and it seems that many insurers are keen to take advantage of the new freedom to hike their fees.

READ ALSO:

“Midi” Jobbers to get some tax relief

In Germany, jobs where someone earns between €525 and €1600 per month are called “midi-jobs.” In midi-jobs, the worker doesn’t make quite enough to be subject to full tax obligations - or social insurance protections - under German labour law. Instead, midi-jobbers make health and social insurance contributions on a sliding scale, meaning they pay less tax. As of January 1st, the midi-job limit will increase from €1,600 to €2,000 per month, allowing more people to save on contributions.

READ ALSO: The rules in Germany around ‘mini’ and ‘midi-jobs’

Bürgergeld (or 'Citizen’s Allowance') comes into force

In political win for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ruling Social Democrats, the new Bürgergeld benefits replace the old Hartz IV long-term unemployment insurance schemes. People receiving it will get an allowance for further training, aimed at allowing them to pursue higher-paying and more sustainable work. Benefits are also going up by more than €50 to €500 per month, while up to €40,000 in assets from benefit claimants will be protected for a year under the scheme.

READ ALSO: Germany reaches agreement on Bürgergeld – with a couple of catches

Tax-free bonuses to employees

Starting in 2023, employers will be able to pay their employees up to €3,000 in tax-free bonuses in the coming years to cushion high inflation. No income tax will be payable on such bonuses until the end of 2024. However, it remains to be seen how many employers will make use of the option and actually pay out the optional extra income.

Housing allowance to go up

Housing allowance – or Wohngeld – is available to low-income households in Germany, particularly pensioners with low monthly stipends or people working minimum wage jobs. It’s designed to help these households pay rent or utility costs.

Some may also be eligible for extra heating subsidies over this winter. At the moment, it can be complicated to determine is someone is eligible, but the government wants to expand the scope of the support to include an estimated two million people - up from the current 600,000. They also want to adjust the amount people receive to the new realities of the energy market.

The average household on Wohngeld currently receives a supplementary €177 per month. The government plans to substantially increase this to €370 per month starting on January 1st.

A view of Stuttgart. Housing is getting more expensive in Germany, particularly in cities. Housing allowance will see a big increase in 2023. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Marijan Murat

READ ALSO: Wohngeld: How many people in Germany can get help with rising living costs

Child allowances to be extended

Germany’s child benefits, which see parents receive money for each child they have to help pay the costs of supporting them, are getting an overhaul. Families currently receive €219 per child for the first two children, €225 for the third one and €250 for any more than that. As of January 1st, families will get €237 for the first three children, with €250 per additional child going to anyone with a larger family.

READ ALSO: What benefits are you entitled to if you have children in Germany?

New laws and regulations

From better protection of employees to trying to minimise plastic waste, there are also several new pieces of legislation coming into effect on January 1st.

Electronic sick note

Starting on January 1st, employers will be required to accept electronic sick notes. Employees who fall ill, and who have statutory insurance, will then no longer have to submit a paper certificate of incapacity for work (Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung) to their employer, but will receive a printout for their records.

Last nuclear power plants to be taken off the grid

In mid-April, the last German nuclear power plants will be taken off the grid. The Isar 2, Neckarwestheim 2 and Emsland power plants should have been shut down at the turn of the year as part of the nuclear phase-out, but their operating lives were extended to help Germany cope with the energy crisis.

The nuclear power plant in Gundremmingen, Swabia, stopped operating on December 31st 2021 as part of Germany's nuclear phase-out. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Stefan Puchner

Tobacco tax increasing

In order to "continue to ensure the health policy steering effect," the Federal Ministry of Finance is gradually increasing the tax on tobacco. Between 2022 and 2026, the price of a pack of cigarettes (20 pieces) will rise by an average of eight cents per year. The pack of fine-cut tobacco (Feinschnitt) and the minimum tax for cigars/cigarillos and pipe tobacco will also be adjusted.

No more compulsory vaccination for nursing staff

The compulsory vaccination for employees in hospitals and nursing homes, which has been in effect since March, is set to be abolished on January 1st. The reason is that the currently dominant Covid variants are better able to evade the immune response of people who have been vaccinated or have recovered than previous ones.

More and more experts consider the Covid pandemic to now be endemic - including top virologist Christian Drosten.

READ ALSO: Calls to end Covid measures as top virologist deems pandemic 'over'

Changes for cars and trucks

Buyers of plug-in hybrid vehicles will no longer receive federal subsidies from 2023. In addition, the premiums for purely electric vehicles will decrease. As of September 1st, subsidies will be limited to private individuals.

The lorry toll on Germany's trunk roads will also be raised in 2023, in order to take greater account of the costs of noise pollution and air pollution.

A highway full of cars and Lkws. (Photo by Matthias Balk / dpa / AFP) / Germany OUT

CO2 tax on heating to be split

From January, landlords will in many cases have to contribute to their tenants' climate levy for heating. The so-called CO2 tax is divided between tenant and landlord according to a graduated model. The less climate-friendly the house, the more the landlord must pay. Until now, tenants have had to shoulder the entire cost of the levy, which is supposed to help reduce climate-damaging carbon dioxide emissions.

New mandatory reusable packaging

Another overarching change is the mandatory re-usability for delivery services, catering services and restaurants. From January 1st, delivery and catering services, as well as restaurants and cafes (including those situated in supermarkets), will be required to offer reusable containers in addition to single-use packaging for takeaway food and drink.

Small businesses with a maximum of five employees and a sales area of up to 80 square meters are exempt from this rule. However, they should point out to their customers that the food they have ordered can also be filled using their own containers.

Better tracing of supply chains

International supply chains are increasingly in the focus of human rights activists. Under the new Supply Chain Act, companies will be obliged to pay more attention to where their goods actually come from and the working conditions of the people who produce them. The act applies to companies with more than 3,000 employees, and obliges companies to react to human rights abuses carried out by their suppliers.

Aid organisations and trade unions will be given the opportunity to represent those affected by violations before German courts.

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Energy security remains guaranteed despite the nuclear phaseout, but integrating renewables requires significant grid investment.