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BIOFORE
Germany is phasing out nuclear
power by 2022 and the aim is to make
up for the energy deficit using renew-
able energy sources. The impacts
of the new energy policy have been
surprising. Carbon dioxide emissions
are growing, it is difficult to anticipate
fluctuations in the price of electricity
and traditional energy companies are
making losses.
The greatest challenge is adapting
the energy system to the rapid
changes that take place in weather-
dependent energy production. How
will power supply be secured when
the sun does not shine or there is no
wind? This uncertainty is the reason
why energy production cannot rely
on renewable energy sources alone:
traditional power plants are needed
to secure the availability of basic
energy.
Germany originally
planned to balance the
The impacts of the German energy transition, the so-called
Energiewende, have surprised energy companies and markets.
TEXT
VESA PUOSKARI
PHOTOGRAPHY
UPM
natural fluctuations of wind and solar
power production using gas but in
practice coal is currently being used
to produce reserve power. Several new
coal-fuelled power plants are currently
being built in Germany while the
oldest plants are being phased out.
Oliver Klitzke
, the Chief
Operating Officer of GE Energy
Germany, assessed the situation at the
POWER-GEN event held in Cologne
in June:
“As a result of the renaissance of
coal-fuelled plants, Germany’s emis-
sions have increased by almost 9%
between 2009 and 2013 so the original
plan for increasing the production of
clean energy has backfired.”
In 2013, Germany’s use of coal
power increased by 44% compared to
the previous year and coal accounted
for 45.5% of the country’s total power
generation. The figure has not been
this high in 20 years.
German energy
production
at a turning point