Germany Shift to Renewables will cost at least $1.3 trillion & increased CO2 emissions #Energy

1. Germany’s plan to transform its energy system to one reliant on renewable power as it phases out nuclear energy could cost up to €1 trillion, German energy and environment minister Peter Altmaier has publicly admitted. Feed-in tariffs supporting renewable energy could account for over two-thirds of the cost.

In an in-depth interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine, Altmaier said that costs for the plans to reform and restructure the country’s energy sector by the end of the 2030s could reach €1 trillion ($1.3 trillion). Feed-in tariffs – guaranteed electricity prices designed to support the adoption of renewables such as wind and photovoltaics – would alone cost some €680 billion ($910 billion) by 2020. That figure could increase further if the market price of electricity fell, he warned.

The shift to renewables is lagging the phase out of nuclear energy and that is being made up by increased coal usage. Increased coal usage is increasing pollution. The current pace of renewable addition will last for many years.

2. Germany saw increased emissions in greenhouse gases last year due to more coal and gas usage while the country seeks to develop its renewable energy sources, according to the Federal Environment Agency.

Germany, which has committed to phase out nuclear power, emitted the equivalent of around 931 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2012, or 14 million tonnes more than a year earlier, the agency said on Monday.

German Federal Environment Agency has statistics for emissions seem to indicate a sharp rise in emissions from a low in 2009.

Germany had a big rise in emissions in 2010

Read more NBF