850 residential units, of which 40% as low-cost social housing
In 2015, a historic double success was achieved for sustainability and climate policy. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on climate protection define an ambitious global target system. The group of the twenty most important industrialised and emerging countries (G20) should now resolutely press ahead with the implementation of both agreements and perceive the Great Transformation towards sustainability as a unique modernisation project that offers considerable economic development opportunities. For example, the complete decarbonisation of the global economy needed to avoid the greatest climate risks can only be implemented with a profound transformation of energy systems and other emissions-intensive infrastructures. The transformation inspires innovation and directs investments towards sustainability and climate protection, including in the sustainable infrastructures to be built and expanded. At the same time, the transformation can be used to fight inequality, i.e. to advance inclusion within societies as well as globally, and thus become a justice project.
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Keywords:
DE-News, Renewable, Climate protection, Sustainable management, News Blog Europe (without DE), Resource efficiency, SDG 2030, Transition Town, Environmental policy, Ecology, Economics
In the context of the Green Deal, the EU's tightened targets on the path to climate neutrality envisage a reduction in CO2 emissions of 55% by 2030 and 100% by 2050. Against the background of these tightened parameters, the question arises as to the impact on the energy transition in Germany. Based on its energy system model REMod, Fraunhofer ISE has calculated the consequences of the new EU targets for the expansion of renewable energies in Germany and now presents the results in a short study.
In February 2020, Fraunhofer ISE presented the study "Pathways to a Climate-Neutral Energy System - The Energy Transition in the Context of Societal Behaviour", which investigated the influence of societal behaviour on possible transformation paths of the German energy system towards an almost complete reduction of energy-related CO2-emissions in the year 2050. The calculations carried out with the REMod energy system model were based on the targets set by the German government at the time of preparation, i.e. a reduction in German CO2-emissions by 55% in 2030 and 95% in 2050 compared to 1990.
In response to the tightening of the European targets from 40% to 55% by 2030, which has now been implemented as part of the European Green Deal, the Institute has recalculated. The transformation paths for Germany considered in the February study were revised with a view to reducing Germany's CO2-emissions of 65% in 2030 and complete climate neutrality of the energy system in 2050. The scientists from Freiburg recalculated all scenarios of their study from February (reference, insistence on conventional technologies, unacceptance of large infrastructure measures, sufficiency). As an additional aspect, they added an investigation of the sensitivity for import prices of green hydrogen and synthetic fuels. The short study mainly considers the reference scenario in order to be able to go into more detail on the changes caused by the target tightening. However, the study also identifies corridors for the expansion of a variety of technologies that can be derived from different scenarios. In the case of photovoltaics and wind, annual additions of 10-14 GW and 9 GW respectively are required by 2030 in order to achieve sufficient CO2-free electricity for Germany.
"The update of our energy end-use study shows that achieving the climate protection targets, even with a greater reduction in greenhouse gas emissions than previously assumed, is feasible from a technical and systemic point of view, albeit with greater efforts," says Dr Christoph Kost, head of the Energy Systems and Energy Economics Group and author of the short study. "A target tightening of energy-related CO2-emissions leads to a higher direct or indirect use of renewably generated electricity in the consumption sectors. This in turn requires a much greater expansion of wind and solar power generation facilities." Furthermore, the short study shows that the expansion of fluctuating renewable energies requires a strong expansion of system flexibility.
If we want to achieve a reduction in CO2emissions by 65% by 2030, battery-electric vehicles must account for 30-35% of passenger transport in the mobility sector, for example. In a climate-neutral energy system by 2050, conventional internal combustion engines will be virtually eliminated from passenger car transport as well as from freight transport.
"Heat pumps - used in households or to supply district heating networks - must become a key technology for heat supply with immediate effect," says Institute Director Prof. Dr. Hans-Martin Henning, summarising the results for the building sector. With a view to the CO2-avoidance costs, he adds: "The tightening of the target used here leads to an increase in CO2-avoidance costs. However, these depend to a large extent on the development of final energy demand."
More detailed explanations of the central statements of the newly calculated transformation paths of the energy transition in Germany can be found on the website of Fraunhofer ISE: "Pathways to a climate-neutral energy system 2050 - The energy transition in the context of societal behaviours - Update under a target of 65% CO2-reduction in 2030 and 100% in 2050.".
Link to the study "Pathways to a climate-neutral energy system - The energy transition in the context of societal behaviour", February 2020, update December 2020:
www.ise.fraunhofer.de/de/veroeffentlichungen/studien/wege-zu-einem-klimaneutralen-energiesystem.html
Keywords:
DE-News, Renewable, Climate protection, New books and studies, PV, Environmental policy
At their meeting in Weimar on 24 and 25 September, the building ministers of the federal states adopted resolutions on social housing, the use of ecological building materials and the digitalisation of the building permit procedure.
The EU's plan to become involved in the area of public housing promotion within the framework of the new "InvestEU" fund was critically assessed. The Federal Government was therefore called upon to advocate a modification of the programme so that subsidies are only granted if the provisions of regional, national or federal subsidy regimes are observed, in particular if a rent and occupancy obligation is provided for. The Chairman of the Conference of Building Ministers, Thuringia's Infrastructure Minister Benjamin-Immanuel Hoff, said: "It remains an important task to create affordable housing in Germany. The federal government must continue to provide at least the same level of funding. To make faster progress, we would need more money in the system. The EU's commitment is therefore to be welcomed in principle. But we must ensure that the money also reaches social housing, and we agree that this can best be done through the established funding programmes of the Länder."
Anne Katrin Bohle, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Building and the Home Affairs, explained: "The creation of affordable housing continues to be a top priority. Two years ago, we put together a unique package of measures with the joint housing offensive of the Federal Government, the federal states and the municipalities. The results are extraordinarily successful: all the central resolutions of the Housing Summit have been implemented or are on their way. We have thus set a decisive course and can look back on good results. This is reflected in particular in the encouraging figures for building completions and building permits. At the end of February 2021, we will draw a final conclusion together with the federal states and municipalities at a balance congress." Hamburg's Senator for Urban Development and Housing, Dorothee Stapelfeldt: "Germany needs more affordable housing. With the amendments to the law formulated in the draft bill on the Building Land Mobilisation Act, we can come a good deal closer to our goal of building 1.5 million new homes, which was set at the 2018 Housing Summit, also in terms of a land policy geared to the common good. A speedy implementation of the draft law is therefore expressly to be welcomed from Hamburg's point of view. What we are currently concerned about is the structural change in our inner cities, which has been greatly accelerated by the Corona pandemic. Here we must now effectively support the municipalities. The Ministers of Construction ask the Federal Government to commission the BBSR with a study to analyse the developments in the inner cities in order to create a good basis for decisions.
In addition, we are setting up an open-state working group under the leadership of Hamburg on the 'development of inner cities' at the level of the state secretaries." Ina Scharrenbach, Minister for Home Affairs, Municipal Affairs, Building and Equality of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia: "With the resolutions we are laying the foundations for future building policy. The promotion of public housing construction, the use of ecological building materials and the digitalisation of building permit procedures are central building blocks. The common goal of the Federal Government and the Länder: The creation of affordable housing and this as quickly as possible. Especially in the current situation, we notice how important it is to have a home that meets the needs of each and every individual. Even though Corona has dominated the headlines in recent months: Housing is a fundamental part of the public's basic needs. That is why we will not let up in our efforts to further improve the framework conditions for developers and investors in order to further boost housing construction. Because more housing is the best protection for tenants against rising rents."
Building with wood
After the amendment of the model building code last year laid the foundation for wood to be used for load-bearing components with higher fire protection requirements, among other things, the focus was now on the use of ecological insulation materials and further follow-up amendments. The conference reaffirmed the importance of sustainable ecological building materials as a comparatively simple contribution to protecting resources and the climate. However, combustible building materials can become a safety hazard if used incorrectly. "We do not want the good reputation of ecological building materials to suffer as a result of damage caused by inadequate safety precautions," said the Chairman of the Conference of Building Ministers, Thuringia's Minister of Infrastructure Prof. Dr. Benjamin-Immanuel Hoff. It is therefore important that the model timber construction guideline, which describes the details for the use of wood, can be put into force quickly. Further findings that should enable even more extensive use of wood are expected from various ongoing research projects.
Source: PM of 25 September 2020
Keywords:
DE-News, Wood construction, Affordable housing, Housing, Housing policy
In future, three citizens' energy cooperatives will bear the award "Citizens' Energy Project 2017". A total of 17 projects nationwide took part in the competition for the title. The three winning projects received a particularly large number of votes during a two-month internet voting process, in which around a thousand interested people took part, and also prevailed in the evaluation of the jury consisting of committee representatives of the Bündnis Bürgerenergie (BBEn). The jury, consisting of five BBEn committee members, was impressed by the large number of applications to the competition, which was held for the first time, as well as the diversity of the applicant projects. According to the jury, the high level of the winning projects also shows how versatile the citizen energy companies in Germany currently are. This can be seen in the very different activities of the three winning cooperatives and the projects they submitted.
Development of a charging network
According to the jury, the project of Inselwerke eG to set up an e-charging network on the Baltic Sea island of Usedom combines sustainable mobility and the expansion of the regional infrastructure so that "a strengthening of the important economic factor of tourism is achieved", as Thomas Banning, member of the jury and BBEn supervisory board member, emphasises. The professional concept of the cooperative convinced the jury and shows which business models are open to citizen energy companies. In particular, the possible duplicability of the charging network and the associated high reach of this approach are aspects that the jury considers worthy of an award. The Inselwerke eG developed a special Usedom model for a multi-stage expansion of the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles - not only on the Baltic Sea island, but also for the entire state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Since April 2016, the cooperative has been able to set up 16 charging stations at 12 locations in cooperation with 11 partners, and more are currently being planned.
Noise barrier with integrated photovoltaic system
The second winner, the EnergieGenossenschaft Inn-Salzach eG, is awarded for its noise barrier with integrated PV system. The energy cooperative in the Upper Bavarian region had erected a noise barrier together with the town of Neuötting. The 230-metre-long and almost five-metre-high structure along a busy road is also equipped with solar power panels. The modules together have a maximum output of 64 kilowatts, which can cover half of the electricity needs of a nearby school during the day. In addition, the wall also separates the school from traffic noise. In addition, the project flows into the lessons and thus ensures a tangible integration of the topic for the pupils.
According to the jury, this integrative concept reflects the current progress of the energy transition and uses dormant potential. Thomas Banning emphasises the recognisable double benefit of the solar noise barrier as follows: "The noise barrier combines the generation of clean energy with protection from the negative consequences of car traffic. The whole thing also has a high aesthetic value and is easy to communicate. That's how you move more!"
Innovative municipal energy concept
The third winner, BürgerEnergiegenossenschaft Emmendingen eG, is awarded for its activities as a cooperative. According to Kai Hock, member of the jury and BBEn supervisory board member, it strives for a holistic energy transition from a technical point of view. It achieves a strong local impact with its activities, which can be seen, for example, in the number of 180 members. Thus, the cooperative has a high reach of the energy transition with its projects and achieves this with different forms of application and technologies, which is why a high innovative character can also be attributed to it.
For example, Emmendinger eG gave schools and residential buildings an all-round energy upgrade, consisting of heating systems, CHP systems and solar systems. It has also equipped buildings such as the adult education centre with photovoltaic systems on a lease model. In addition, a PV system on a goat shed with 250 kWp is currently being planned.
According to the jury, the three winners are particularly representative of the high level of activity of the many citizens' energy associations in Germany. They are therefore rightly awarded the title "Citizen Energy Project of the Year", on which the jury congratulates them warmly.
Link:
www.buendnis-buergerenergie.de
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Stakeholders, DE-News, Renewable, Climate protection, Mobility, News Blog Baden-Württemberg, News Blog Bavaria, News Blog Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, PV, Contests & Prizes
