L R AS Published on Sunday 18 February 2018 - n° 222 - Categories:Germany
Coal at the centre of German politics
Discussions between the SPD and the CDU on the formation of the government in Germany are put into perspective by the author of the article: if Germany were to abolish its coal-fired power generation capacity, either
46 GW, which provides 40% of the country's energy, world coal consumption would fall by only 2%.
For the time being, the SPD is trying to present itself as the standard bearer for coal use and does not wish to commit itself to a deadline for a ban on coal use, as 46,000 people are employed in coal-related industries in Germany. However, 2018 is the year in which there is a reduction in state aid for mining.
Replacing coal-fired power plants with renewable energy, assuming a factor of 50% with offshore wind power, would require more than 92 gigawatts of renewable capacity. This is almost six times all the offshore wind power installed to date in Europe.
GreenTech Media of 15 February
