Nationwide electricity generation Coal is overtaking wind power again

Status: 06/11/2021 1:53 p.m.

A spring without storms has led to a decline in wind energy. Coal grew to become the most important energy source in the country in the first quarter. At the same time, the demand for electricity is increasing, says Minister of Economic Affairs Altmaier. Electricity production using coal in Germany overtook wind power again in the first quarter of 2021. According to the Federal Statistical Office, a “windless spring” resulted in almost a third less electricity from wind power. According to the authorities, the gap has been filled by increasing electricity generation from coal and natural gas power plants. From January to March inclusive, a total of 138.2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity was generated and fed into the grid. According to preliminary results from the Federal Office, that was 2.6 percent less than in the first quarter of 2020.

Coal, gas and nuclear power dominate

While the electricity in the same period last year came mainly from renewable energy sources such as wind power, biogas and sun (51.4 percent), coal, gas and nuclear energy dominated at the beginning of this year (59.3 percent). With a share of 28.9 percent of the total amount of electricity fed into the grid, coal was the most important energy source for electricity generation in Germany in the first quarter of this year. The amount of electricity generated in coal-fired power plants increased by more than a quarter (26.8 percent) to almost 40 billion kilowatt hours compared to the same period in the previous year. The amount of electricity from natural gas increased by 24 percent to 22.5 billion kilowatt hours. In contrast, there was a strong minus of almost a third (32.4 percent) in wind power: The feed-in of 33.5 billion kilowatt hours was the lowest value for this energy source for a first quarter since 2018. In the two previous years, there was wind power significantly higher values ​​achieved due to strong spring storms.

Altmaier sees increased demand for electricity

Meanwhile, Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier admitted that his department had so far underestimated how much the demand for electricity in Germany is likely to increase in the course of the energy transition. “Due to the more stringent climate targets in Germany and the EU, we have to assume a significantly higher electricity demand than was previously assumed,” said the CDU politician to Wirtschaftswoche. “My house will submit new calculations for this.” Altmaier said that more energy must be produced, “from all available renewable sources: wind power and photovoltaics”. Altmaier said that he would present specific proposals on how offshore wind power on the high seas and other renewable energies could be expanded more than previously planned. For “green hydrogen” for use in the steel industry or the expansion of electromobility, many experts believe that significantly more electricity will be required in the coming years, which should come from renewable energies.

SPD puts pressure on

The SPD criticized Altmaier: “For months now, the SPD and the entire German industry and energy sector have been calling on the Federal Minister of Economics in vain to anchor realistic electricity requirements and a correspondingly ambitious expansion of wind power and photovoltaics in the EEG,” said parliamentary group vice-president Matthias Miersch of the dpa news agency. If Altmaier now announces new proposals, which can only then be implemented by the next federal government, it is “poor” and unworthy of a federal minister of economics, according to Miersch. The SPD had already submitted proposals months ago which, based on realistic electricity consumption, determine the associated expansion paths for green electricity up to 2030 and contain funds for acquiring space and accelerating it. “We could implement this next week,” said the politician.

Bundestag resolutions Higher tobacco tax and more protection for “coffee trips”

Status: 11.06.2021 8:26 a.m.

The Bundestag passed numerous laws into the night. Among other things, the redistribution of EU agricultural subsidies was decided and the rules for so-called coffee trips tightened. Smoking will become more expensive in the future. An overview. The plenary session began on Thursday morning – it was only ended on Friday morning at 0.59 a.m. by Parliament’s Vice-President Wolfgang Kubicki. The agenda in the Bundestag was tough. In the last few weeks before the summer break, the grand coalition is trying to get as many projects as possible through parliament. An overview of the most important resolutions of the night session.

Tobacco tax is rising – and also applies to liquids

Germany’s smokers are asked to pay more. The Bundestag decided that the tobacco tax for a pack of 20 cigarettes will rise by an average of ten cents in the coming year. A year later, a further ten cents will be added, in 2025 and 2026 another 15 cents per pack will be added. Vaping e-cigarettes and tobacco heaters is also taxed higher. So-called liquids for use in e-cigarettes are to be subject to tobacco tax in the future; up to now they have been subject to sales tax. An additional tax is to be introduced for heated tobacco, so that in future there will be a taxation similar to that of cigarettes.

More consumer protection with “coffee trips” and online marketplaces

The sale of insurance, home loan and savings contracts, medical products and dietary supplements on so-called coffee trips will be prohibited in the future. In addition, the participants of such trips must be better informed about their rights by the organizer. The fine for violations will be increased from 1,000 euros to 10,000 euros. The new law also provides for a regulation according to which consumers may not be asked to pay before the end of the day on which the contract is signed for contracts that have come about as part of an unsolicited visit to the home. In the future, online marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay will have to disclose the essential criteria for their rankings of search results. They must also inform consumers whether the potential contracting parties are entrepreneurs or private individuals. Rankings in search results must not be influenced by hidden advertising or hidden payments. The platforms must also explain how they ensure the authenticity of user reviews. Fake reviews are expressly prohibited in the future. Advertising in online networks should be more recognizable in the future – this applies to influencers, for example. Labeling is not necessary if the advertiser has not received any money or similar consideration from a company.

Protection of package tours

Consumer protection is also being strengthened for package tours: a multi-million dollar fund will in future protect package travelers from possible damage in the event of bankruptcies. Tour operators are to pay 750 million euros into the fund. The fund is also intended to prevent the state from having to step in when tour operators go bankrupt. The new fund is to guarantee prepayments by customers, the repatriation of stranded holidaymakers and their accommodation until they are returned. It basically replaces the previous protection through insurance or bank guarantees. The background to this is the bankruptcy of the travel company Thomas Cook in September 2019.

Fight against tax havens and money laundering

Capital flight to so-called tax havens is expected to become less attractive in the future. If the Federal Council also approves the new regulation, operating and advertising costs for cross-border transactions can only be claimed for tax purposes if the respective states adhere to international tax standards. In addition, regulations on withholding tax, which are incurred on investment income abroad, are being tightened. The basis is a “black list” of the EU, in which “non-cooperative countries and areas” are listed, which from Brussels’ point of view facilitate tax evasion or unfair tax competition. There are twelve countries such as Panama, Fiji and the Seychelles. However, this list is controversial – mainly because it does not contain any tax havens within the EU. In order to combat money laundering and terrorist financing more effectively, the German transparency register will also be expanded and better linked internationally. Additional reporting obligations for the economy should make it easier to track down letterbox companies and to identify the people behind nested company structures. At the same time, this is intended to protect reputable companies from coming into contact with questionable business partners and criminal machinations. In addition, the investigators in Germany should work more closely with the authorities in other EU countries.

Compensation for phasing out nuclear power

The Bundestag also gave the green light for the compensation of energy companies for the accelerated nuclear phase-out. The adopted amendment to the Atomic Energy Act empowers the responsible federal ministries to conclude a public law contract “on the payment of financial compensation” which ends “all national and international legal disputes”. In March, after years of dispute with the energy companies RWE, Vattenfall, EnBW and E.on, the federal government reached an agreement on compensation: Germany pays the companies compensation totaling a good 2.4 billion euros. This compensates for residual amounts of electricity that the companies can no longer generate in their own plants, as well as investments that the companies made in reliance on the nuclear power plant life extension that came into force in 2010.

Distribution of EU agricultural subsidies approved

The Bundestag also approved the federal government’s legislative package for the distribution of EU grants for German farmers. In the coming years, this will increasingly be based on criteria such as environmental protection and animal welfare. From 2023, a quarter of Brussels direct payments will be linked to certain ecological requirements. For example, there is additional money for not using pesticides or for more nature conservation in meadows and pastures. In total, it is about six billion euros that Germany’s farmers will receive annually from the EU until 2027. So far, the distribution of such funds has largely been based on the area of ​​the farms – regardless of the impact on the environment and landscape. With the reform, small and medium-sized businesses are to receive significantly more support. Young farmers up to the age of 40 also receive more money. In addition, there will in future be a premium for grazing animal owners who have so far benefited little from the area premium. The Federal Cabinet had already adopted the new requirements for the national structure of the Common European Agricultural Policy (GAP) in April. At EU level, however, there is still a struggle about how the reform of the EU agricultural policy should be designed. The aim is to reach an agreement by the end of June. The legislative package that has now been passed, which is aimed at a Agricultural Ministers’ Conference Compromise goes back, then changed again. Previously, the Bundestag had, among other things the powers of the protection of the constitution expanded . In the course of the day, the parliament wants to pass a number of other laws of the grand coalition – for example on care reform and on Compliance with human rights in global supply chains .

These word-of-mouth statements are almost consistent with information from the US Senate hearing on a request to fund NASA with a figure of $ 585 million to invest in nuclear-powered propulsion technology in the fiscal year 2022. and other American efforts in this area. This means that Russia’s space nuclear energy program is not only for technical purposes, but also for geopolitical purposes. Russia’s current program has its roots in the Soviet era. The Soviet Union launched a total of 33 military satellites with the function of spying and targeting targets equipped with nuclear reactors into low orbit around the Earth from 1969 to 1988. Most of these satellites used reactors. Buk type nuclear power generation reactor, only 2 of them using advanced thermal electron furnace NPP Topaz with generating capacity from 4.5 to 5.5 kW, however, this project was suspended in 1986 . In the early 1990s, a Russian-American cooperation project aimed at continuing the development of the Topaz furnace, but this project was suspended in 1995. In the period 2000-2007, Russia also tried to find ways to cooperate with China. Nation in this field. Despite the economic decline for a long time, Moscow has been trying to continue its independent efforts in the field of the use of nuclear energy in space since 1998, and during the time of President Dmitry Medvedev in power, the This effort has been identified as a key priority for the Kremlin. The budget for this program of Russia for the period 2010-2018 is 17 billion rubles, divided between Roscosmos 9.8 billion rubles and Rosatom 7.2 billion rubles, equivalent to $560 million in 2010 exchange rates. However, the actual disbursement figure is much smaller. In 2010, only 500 million rubles ($16.5 million) were allocated for this purpose. Over the next decade, total disbursements reached nearly 10 billion rubles ($213 million), according to public information from Roscosmos and Rosatom. The results of these efforts have not been as successful as they initially suggested. For example, the technical requirements of the proposed product are an outer space nuclear reactor with a capacity of 1 MW of electricity and an ion thruster with a capacity of 50 kW. However, the reality shows that Russia is currently only developing nuclear power generation systems YaEU-25M, YaEU-25 and YaEU-50 with a generating capacity of 10-40 kW and propulsion using ionic force. 25 kW. At present, perhaps Russia is just stopping at the computational model run for more powerful reactors and engines. For comparison, NASA is still trying to design a 10 kW outer space nuclear reactor with a Stirling engine for the purpose of increasing efficiency, currently Russia is still revolving around the thermal electron model, and the problem of using Using engines or turbines in combination with reactors is still only a theory. It is hard to believe that Russia will design a nuclear reactor in space with a generating capacity of 1 MW or ion propulsion engines with a larger capacity in the near future. Anyway, Moscow is still trying to turn the results achieved into advanced applications in long-distance space travel or foreign politics. Due to a decline in space research activities in other sub-sectors, coupled with economic weakness, these problems have prompted the Kremlin to look for another trump card. While the development of nuclear reactors for space exploration is far from complete, the Russian government as well as industry is currently looking for the application of nuclear reactors to satellites. military. These satellites can be used for radar reconnaissance or electronic warfare (for example jamming) when they are deployed in low, mid or geostationary orbits. However, no tests of such satellites have yet been conducted, meaning Moscow is not ready to field such satellites in the near future. In addition, the promotion of nuclear-powered spacecraft could be used by Russian space and nuclear industry units as a tool to apply for funding, to promote a slow and risky research program. this. For its part, the Kremlin is still trying to blur its true purpose. They came up with the “Strategy for the development of nuclear energy in space by 2030 in 2019, and issued relevant policies for the first time in 1998. Even if Russian military satellites are used by Russian military satellites. Nuclear power appeared in 2030, it also did not bring about significant changes in the technical and military fields. However, Moscow is still trying to polish it as a tool to help shift political supremacy. First, Russia has consistently supported the ban on placing weapons in outer space. Second, Russia will not be able to stand in the forefront of space technology without cooperating with other countries in the field, so Russian leaders see nuclear technology in space as a way to develop. cooperation, even in times of growing hostility in the West. The Russian SPT-100 series Ion Thruster has been used on satellites since 1994.

Germany and Norway inaugurated the NordLink undersea cable line. Photo: DW With a total length of 623 km, NordLink is one of the longest undersea cables in the world, connecting the town of Tonstad in southern Norway to the mouth of the Elbe river in northern Germany. This cable route helps to exchange wind and solar energy produced in Germany for hydroelectric power produced in Norway, helping the two countries make up for the shortfall in electricity production due to fluctuations in the amount of wind and sun. The project is expected to help provide electricity for about 3.6 million households, which has been in operation since April, but officially opened on May 27. According to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the project is really a big step towards a sustainable and future-friendly energy supply for Germany. The project also helps to balance electricity production, which is an important part of the country’s growing efforts to expand renewable energy sources. Thorsten Lenck of the Agora Energy Transition research organization considers the NordLink project an important step in Germany’s energy transition and integration into the European power system. According to the plan, Germany will gradually phase out nuclear power by 2022 and coal power by 2038. Recently, Germany has also set many ambitious targets to reduce CO2 emissions after the Constitutional Court – a court Supreme Court in Germany, ruled that the current climate protection law was “not enough”, demanding an amendment to the law. With ambitious targets, the German government plans to cut emissions by 65% ​​by 2030 compared with 1990 levels, further than the 55% reduction target set earlier. The reduction will then reach 88% by 2040, with the goal of making Germany carbon neutral by 2045, five years earlier than originally planned. For the first time ever, renewables in Germany will account for half of electricity production, compared with 25% less than 10 years ago, data from the Fraunhofer Research Institute shows. Interaction and exchange between different countries is also one of the pillars of the European Union’s climate strategy. To date, a number of cross-border projects have been operating between Norway and the Netherlands; Netherlands and Great Britain; Denmark and the Netherlands.

According to the developers, the tugboat weighs 80 kg, carrying 16 kg of liquid fuel. The tugboat is designed to pull a number of satellites into different orbits. That is seen as a competitive advantage over missiles without tugs. Russia is ambitious in future tugboat development projects. Russia is popularizing the use of the accelerator decks, in fact the tugboats put satellites in different orbits. On March 22, the Fregat stage used in the Soyuz rocket carried 38 foreign satellites to different orbits. By the end of 2020, Russian media reported that Roskosmos State Space Group would spend 4.2 billion rubles on the development of nuclear space tugs for flights to other planets of the solar system. Accordingly, the state corporation plans to develop a preliminary project on creating a space complex with an energy-transport module based on a nuclear electric motor. Expressing confidence in this program, Mr. Alexander Bloshenko – chief executive officer “Roskosmos” said the nuclear space tugboat will be launched to one of the satellites of Jupiter by 2030.

Flag of the European Union at headquarters in Belgium. Photo: Reuters Reuters recently released a document showing that the European Union (EU) will introduce a series of conditions that force the transport, industry and construction industries to meet in order to be classified into the category. Sustainable investments in Europe. Besides, the EU has yet to decide whether to label gas and nuclear power as a “green” label. According to the document, the EU’s “sustainable financial classification” is a long list of economic activities and regulations that industries must meet in order to be labeled as a sustainable investment in the EU from 2022. This landmark regulation aims to make “green” activities more attractive to investors, while at the same time ensuring that a sustainable investment label is only granted to economic activities that comply. meeting the EU’s targets on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Natural gas is not mentioned in the draft regulations. European nations are divided over whether gas-fired power plants should be considered “green”, and the European Commission (EC) plans to tackle the fuel issue, along with electricity. kernel, in a separate proposal later this year or not. Draft regulations on “green labeling” include detailed definitions of what is considered sustainable investment in different sectors including transportation, energy generation from sources such as wind. and hydroelectricity, building rehabilitation and manufacturing of cement, steel and batteries. For example, emissions at cement plants must be below 0.72 tons CO2 equivalent to each ton of gray cement produced. Meanwhile, car production from now until the end of 2025 will be considered a sustainable investment if these vehicles emit less than 50g of CO2 per km. After 2025, only the production of zero-emission cars will be green-labeled./.