Good environmental governance for renewable energies: The example of Germany - lessons for China?

Germany’s pioneering role in the field of renewable energies (RES) can best be observed by its world leading position in installed wind power and photovoltaics. Also its first European rank in the production of biofuels and installed solar thermal collector space is remarkable. These successes are not due to an exceptionally good natural resource base; mainly they are the result of an innovative national support policy. Pressure from the European and international commitments also have contributed to the German success story in RES. The current paper analyses the main factors of the German case in the development of RES, including the design elements of the national promotion instruments and support programmes, the policy impacts from the European and the international level, technical as well as cognitive conditions. In addition, a description is given of further driving forces for a successful RES development in other European countries. The paper ends with the question which of the described success factors of the German RES case might be transferable to China - and which not. --

The Strategic value of European renewable energy promotion policy

Encara falta per fer possible una transformació estratègica d'Europa del sistema d'energia, però el que és de la mateixa importància com a objectius a llarg termini de la FER i Reduccions de GEH són vinculants i forts objectius d'eficiència energètica, no només per 2020, però també per al 2030, 2040 i 2050, com aquesta força ajudaria a fixar l'augment de les energies renovables en el total d'energia consum i per reduir el total Emissions de GEH d'Europa en general, i les del sector de l'energia en particular, encara sent un dels majors emissors de gasos d'efecte hivernacle de tots els sectors. La refosa Directiva, prevista per 2011/12 ha de ser un bones finestres d'oportunitat per finalment establir objectius vinculants d'eficiència energètica, l'únic pilar que encara falta en la força energia interdependents i estratègia sobre el clima de la UE, basat en la reducció de gasos d'efecte hivernacle i i l'eficiència energètica.What finally is still missing to make possible such a strategic transformation of Europe's energy system but what is of equal importance as long term targets of RES and GHG reductions are binding and strong targets for energy efficiency, not only for 2020 but also for 2030, 2040 and 2050, as this would strongly help to fasten the increase of RES in the overall energy consumption and to bring down the total GHG emissions of Europe in general and those of the energy sector in particular, still being one of the biggest GHG emitters of all sectors. The recast of the Energy Service Directive, foreseen for 2011/12 should be a good windows of opportunity to finally establish binding energy efficiency targets, the only still missing pillar in the strongly interdependent energy and climate strategy of the EU, based on RES, GHG reductions and energy efficiency

Good environmental governance for renewable energies - the example of Germany: lessons for China?

"Germany's pioneering role in the field of renewable energies (RES) can best be observed by its world leading position in installed wind power and photovoltaics. Also its first European rank in the production of biofuels and installed solar thermal collector space is remarkable. These successes are not due to an exceptionally good natural resource base; mainly they are the result of an innovative national support policy. Pressure from the European and international commitments also have contributed to the German success story in RES. The current paper analyses the main factors of the German case in the development of RES, including the design elements of the national promotion instruments and support programmes, the policy impacts from the European and the international level, technical as well as cognitive conditions. In addition, a description is given of further driving forces for a successful RES development in other European countries. The paper ends with the question which of the described success factors of the German RES case might be transferable to China - and which not." (author's abstract

Erfolgsbedingungen von Instrumenten zur Förderung Erneuerbarer Energien im Strommarkt

Das Ziel dieser Studie ist es, Faktoren zu identifizieren, die für eine möglichst erfolgreiche Anwendung von Fördermaßnahmen für erneuerbare Energien im Strommarkt besonders wichtig sind. Dabei bestätigt sich die Grundannahme, dass neben der prinzipiellen Entschei-dung für ein bestimmtes Förderinstrumentarium, v.a. die äußeren Rahmenbedingungen, die grundsätzliche Ausgestaltung von Fördermodellen sowie instrumentenspezifische Detailre- gelungen maßgeblich für den Erfolg verantwortlich sind. Hinsichtlich der Rahmenbedingungen werden dabei fünf Makrofaktoren identifiziert. Dies sind geographische bzw. die Ausgangsbedingungen der Energiepolitik eines Landes betref-fende, sowie ökonomische, politische, technische und kognitive Faktoren. Darüber hinaus ist es die jeweilige Ausgestaltung einer Fördermaßnahme, die über die ge-wünschte Effektivität entscheidet. Wiederum werden diesbezüglich fünf zentrale Kriterien i-dentifiziert, die den Erfolg eines Förderinstruments mitbestimmen. Dies sind die langfristige Planungs- und Investitionssicherheit, die technologiedifferenzierte Vergütung, die standort- abhängige Vergütung, die Rechts- und Wettbewerbskonformität, sowie die institutionelle Be-herrschbarkeit eines jeden Förderinstruments. Schließlich sind auch zahlreiche Detailregelungen innerhalb des jeweiligen Förderansatzes für dessen Erfolg mit entscheidend, wie z. B. eine degressive und zeitlich befristete Ausrich-tung der Vergütung bei Einspeisemodellen.It is the aim of this study to identify success conditions of instruments for the promotion of re-newable energies in the electricity market. The basic assumption that the success of a cer-tain promotion instrument mainly depends on the (external) framework conditions and on its general and specific design is proved true. Concerning the framework conditions five macro factors are identified. These include geo-graphical factors respectively the individual starting position in energy policy as well as eco-nomical, political, technical and cognitive factors. Furthermore the general design of a promotion measure is responsible for its grade of effec-tiveness. Again five main criteria are identified which influence the success of a promotion instrument in a crucial way: long-term security for planning and investments, technology spe-cific payment, location specific payment, compatibility with law and competition and adminis-trative manageability. Finally, several specific shapings within a respective promotion model are decisive for its successful deployment for example a degressive and temporary limited payment in a feed-in system

A visegrádi országok energiafelhasználásának elemzése = Analysis of Gross Inland Energy Consumption of the Visegrad Countries

Az Európai Unió energiapolitikája az ellátásbiztonságra, a fenntartható fejlődésre és a versenyképességre épül. Az energiapolitikai célkitűzések elérése érdekében az EU elkötelezte magát a megújuló energiaforrások növekvő felhasználása mellett. A visegrádi országok esetében ez különösen kiemelt kérdés, mivel ezen országok erősen függnek a külső energiaforrásoktól, magas a fosszilisenergia-felhasználásuk, ugyanakkor jelentős megújulóenergia-potenciállal is rendelkeznek. A cikk bemutatja a visegrádi országok energiafelhasználását, különös tekintettel a megújuló energiákra. A tanulmány célja a megújulók és a nem megújuló energiaforrások közötti kapcsolat vizsgálata, azaz meghatározni, hogy a megújuló energiák melyik nem megújuló energiaforrást váltották ki az egyes visegrádi országokban a 2010 és 2016 közötti időszakban

Explaining Success and Failure in Climate Policies: Developing Theory through German Case Studies

Theories of environmental outcomes have been developed mostly through large-N cross-national studies, which have a structuralist bias and do not include the mechanisms through which inferred causes operate. Structured, focused case studies can help overcome those limits by incorporating political processes and identifying causal mechanisms. Here, comparisons of climate policy outcomes within Germany are used to test and develop theory, by explaining the differences among nine cases with the help of process tracing. The findings suggest that environmental-outcome theories should be modified to include: external events and advocacy-coalition formation as key processes; multiple causal paths through which green parties improve environmental quality; more examination of the ways that neocorporatism can hinder environmental performance and that advocacy-coalition formation can change patterns of interest intermediation; and rising income and consumption as factors producing environmental deterioration in the absence of policies regulating consumption

New trends and their implications for the German energy transition process

In this paper I discuss very recent developments in the post-2020 climate and energy policy framework of the European Union as well as their implications for the German energy transition process. In a first step, I analyze how the need for the planned modifications of the European strategy is framed. I argue that the European Commission obviously sparked off a new round in tackling a longstanding governance dilemma between European market integration and regulatory diversity among Member States regarding energy and environmental issues. In a second step, I take a closer look at the implications of these changes at the European level for the German energy transition pathway. I argue that supranational pressure to adapt national energy policies to internal market rules coincides with the dominant domestic framing of the need for market integration of renewable energies. This interplay of problem framings, on the one hand, and the discretionary power of the European Commission to control competition rules, on the other, explains the very recent instrumental shift in the German national support scheme for renewable energies. Subsequently, I debate various governance options for dealing with the implications of the proposed new European approach to energy and climate policy, both against the backdrop of the particular German way of energy transition as well as against the backdrop of general transition challenges

Der Ausbau der erneuerbaren Energien in Deutschland. Eine Analyse der zentralen Determinanten

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird der Frage nachgegangen, welche Faktoren den rasanten Ausbau der erneuerbaren Energien in Deutschland beeinflusst haben. Mit Hilfe der Heidelberger Schule der Staatstätigkeitsforschung werden verschiedene Erklärungsgrößen wie Pfadabhängigkeit, politische Parteien oder institutionelle Rahmenbedingungenen betrachtet und ihr Einfluss auf die forcierte Förderung erneuerbarer Energien untersucht. Der Autor kommt zu dem Ergebnis, dass neben institutionellen Faktoren, insbesondere die politischen Parteien, Interessengruppen und eine günstige Wahl der Zeitpunkte von besonderer Bedeutung waren