26Nov 2021 
In its World Energy Outlook 2021, the International Energy Agency (IEA) looks at what impact current emissions pledges around the world will have and issues an urgent warning: the commitments made to date are not enough.
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Many Germans are particularly fond of the solar electricity component within the German energy transition. Public approval rates for solar installations, their construction and enlargement are high. A study has now shown that a large portion of the installations in Germany are privately owned.
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The Federation and the Länder want to better coordinate the expansion of renewables: a new Bund/Länder Cooperation Committee has been established under the 2021 Renewable Energy Sources Act. This new body has now presented its first progress report on the expansion of renewables.
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Emissions trading, carbon pricing and carbon leakage are familiar terms in the context of climate action and the EU economy. But what exactly is carbon leakage and why is it so important right now? Read on to find out.
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“The social and economic benefits of accelerating clean energy transitions are huge, and the costs of inaction are immense”
Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), commenting on the World Energy Outlook 2021
How can steel production become less emission-intensive today and what technologies can pave the way for the transformation of this venerable industry? These are questions that the project partners involved in the H2Steel Regulatory Sandbox for the Energy Transition want to find answers to. At a blast furnace in Duisburg, they will be testing the use of hydrogen in the production of pig iron over the next five years. They want to replace coal, which has traditionally been used as a reducing agent, with green hydrogen, thus lowering the level of carbon dioxide emissions from the process by up to 20%. At the same time, the H2Steel team are also working on an alternative to the traditional blast furnace, which could cut emissions by as much as 95% and more. The idea is to use hydrogen for a direct reduction process. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is providing approx. €37 million in funding for this Regulatory Sandbox for the Energy Transition.
“Since 1 November, the new federal funding guidelines for energy and resource efficiency in business have been in force. New elements include funding for resource efficiency and for transformation concepts that support companies as they plan for decarbonising their business premises.”
At its annual energy transition congress in Berlin, German Energy Agency (DENA) awarded the international Energy Efficiency Award to five projects and one concept. Thomas Bareiß, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, highlighted the high level of commitment to the energy transition that was demonstrated by the laureates: “If you smartly invest in energy efficiency and technical innovation, you will gain a competitive edge and make an important contribution to climate action.” To read about the laureates’ exciting ideas in detail, visit the website below. The Award was presented with support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and the KfW (the Federation’s promotional bank)
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