Category Archives: Germany

DEA’s and dena’s report on land use planning for renewable energy

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In the last couple of months I have been involved in preparing a report on the issue of land use planning for renewable energy. Dena’s colleagues have been working on this report together with colleagues from the Danish Energy Agency (DEA). It was a part of the joint project energy transition expertise for China CNREC. The report was launched yesterday at the China Wind Power Conference. It is titled: “Distributed Wind and PV in Denmark and Germany”.

About the report from its introduction:

“This report describes the current regulations in Denmark and Germany for land use and planning and siting of RE facilities, especially distributed onshore wind and free-field PV systems. In the first section, the status of both onshore wind power and PV in both countries is presented. Afterwards, the planning and siting processes as well as the approval processes for onshore wind farms and free-field PV systems are explained. In this context, it is important to note that, while Denmark is ruled by country-level regulation, in Germany the regulations for land use differ across the federal states, which have the power to issue own rules. The most important differences are briefly presented in this report. Afterwards, the public participation processes are discussed. Finally, lessons learned for China based on the Danish and German experiences with planning and siting onshore wind power plants and free-field PV systems are suggested.“
You may find the whole report here.

dena’s report on CO2 price

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Next dena’s report, which I contributed to, is out! It is titled “Wirksamer Klimaschutz durch Preissignale? Wege zur Zielerreichung 2030” (“Effective climate protection through price signals? – Ways to achieve the targets 2030”) and it is dena’s contribution to the CO2 price debate in Germany. It summarizes the results of a stakeholder dialoque organized by dena during the last couple of months.

About the report from the dena’s website:

“Die CO2-Bepreisung wird immer wieder diskutiert, wenn es darum geht, wie wirksame Emissionsreduktionen erreicht werden können. Das kürzlich von der Bundesregierung beschlossene “Klimaschutzprogramm 2030” enthält wichtige Grundsatzentscheidungen zur CO2-Bepreisung. Die dena hat mit der Ideenschmiede CO2-Bepreisung einen Stakeholderprozess initiiert, um das Instrument aus verschiedenen Blickwinkeln zu bewerten. Die teilnehmenden Stakeholder aus Unternehmen, Verbänden, Gewerkschaften und NGOs debattierten Über den wesentlichen Elementen verschiedener CO2-Bepreisungsmodelle. Der Abschlussbericht bietet eine Zusammenfassung der Argumente, Unterschiede und Schnittmengen zwischen den Konzepten und Akteursgruppen.”

You may find the whole report here.

dena’s report on PPAs

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Dena’s report on PPAs and how to use them for cost-efficient extension of renewable energies, with some recommendations for China, is out! I wrote this report together with my dena’s colleague, Carolin Schenuit. Experts of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) contributed to sections describing PPA practices in the U.S.

About the report from the dena’s website:

“A power purchase agreement (PPA) is a financial mechanism that allows utilities and corporations to procure renewable energy (RE) from producers with minimal to no upfront capital cost in order to meet their RE goals.

This report comprises a literature review on the evolving practices in PPA implementation in the U.S. and Europe, including PPA types, key factors enabling PPAs, as well as challenges and limitations associated with PPA applications. Built on the experience and lessons learned from the U.S. and Europe, this report sheds light onto feasible options that could be adopted by China to enable the implementation of PPAs for RE investments.”

You may find the whole report here.

First time representing the German Energy Agency (dena)

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From 27th to 29th of May I was a part of the delegation of the German Energy Agency (dena) to the 25th Energy & Environment Fair & Conference ICCI in Istanbul.

In 28th of May I took part in the meeting of the German-Turkish Working Group “Sector Coupling and Energy Infrastructure” with representatives from the Turkish Energy Ministry and gave a presentation on storage technologies in Germany, including large scale battery storage systems (BSS) and the concept of “Netzboosters” (grid boosters) (see dena’s Twitter below). On the next day I participated in the conference on storage technologies in Germany and Turkey with German and Turkish experts. 

Both events were organized jointly be the dena and the German-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It was a pleasure to be a part of the organization team as well as to share with the Turkish colleagues the knowledge about current situation and developments concerning storage of energy in Germany. I have also lernt a lot about the Turkish electricity system and the role of renewables. I am looking forward to the next meeting of the Working Group in Berlin!

Book chapter on wind energy use and landscape debates in Poland and Germany (in Polish)

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My book chapter “Windenergienutzung und Landschaftsdebatten – Erfahrungen aus Polen und Deutschland” [Wind energy use and landscape debates – experiences from Poland and Germany], translated into Polish and written together with Antje Otto and Andrzej Ancygier, has been published in the book “Krajobrazy kulturowe. Sposoby konstruowania i narracje” [Cultural landscapes. Construction methods and narratives] (2017, pp. 278-298).

The book chapter has been translated by Agnieszka Grzybkowska: “Wykorzystanie energii wiatrowej i debaty na temat krajobrazu. Doswiadczenia z Polski i Niemiec”. The book has been edited by Robert Traba, Violetta Julkowska and Tadeusz Stryjakiewicz and published by Wydawnictwo Neriton CBH PAN (Centrum Badan Historycznych Polskiej Akademii Nauk w Berlinie) Publishing House Neriton Centre of Historical Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences. German version is coming soon.