Transformation design, lecture by Harald Welzer

Published 4 November 2013

Published on 08.10.2013

Keywords: Social / Culture, Transition Town, Environmental policy

Published 18. July 2017

Germany subsidizes coal, oil and gas with 46 billion euros per year

With 46 billion euros per year, the German government favours the mining and climate-damaging burning of coal, oil and gas in Germany.

This policy makes the energy transition more expensive and passes on a large part of the follow-up costs of fossil energies to society. This is the result of a study by the Forum Ökologisch-Soziale Marktwirtschaft (FÖS) commissioned by the independent environmental organisation Greenpeace. "Every euro squandered on dirty energies is an investment in further climate destruction," says Greenpeace energy expert Tobias Austrup. "There is still not a black zero for fossil subsidies, but a deep red minus in the federal budget." (The study online.)

Already in 2009, at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, the German government, together with the other governments, committed to ending fossil fuel subsidies, but without setting a date for the phase-out. "By 2020 at the latest, we must finally put an end to fuelling the climate catastrophe with billions in subsidies," Austrup demands. "A clear plan to phase out coal in Germany is needed so that the German government remains credible in foreign policy." In Italy and England, plans to phase out coal have already been adopted.

The lion's share of climate-damaging subsidies favours transport

The main beneficiary of fossil subsidies is transport with 28.5 billion euros. At just under eight billion euros, artificially cheap diesel is the largest single subsidy. The tax exemption for aviation fuel is worth 7.5 billion, the distance allowance a good five billion, the VAT exemption for international flights 4.4 billion and the company car privilege three billion. For a quarter of a century, transport has made no contribution whatsoever to climate protection. In 2016, according to the Federal Environment Agency, greenhouse gas emissions from transport were even one percent higher than in 1990.

"The transport turnaround cannot progress if internal combustion engines are supported with massive subsidies." The share of electric cars in new registrations in Germany was just 0.5 per cent in the first five months of 2017, according to the Federal Motor Transport Authority. Despite the German government's purchase premium, registration figures have barely risen.

Greenpeace study: Subsidies for fossil energies in Germany
Download link of the study

Keywords:
DE-News, Renewable, Climate protection, Media, Mobility, Sustainable management, New books and studies, Resource efficiency, Environmental policy, Ecology

Published 26 March 2019

First power-to-gas plant in a residential complex

Project of the Stadtwerke and the Wohnbaugruppe Augsburg

Augsburg, 22.02.19: Together with partner company EXYTRON, Stadtwerke Augsburg (swa) has installed and commissioned the world's first decentralised power-to-gas plant in an existing residential complex. This enables a challenge of the energy transition to be mastered: surplus, regeneratively generated electricity is converted into synthetic natural gas and can thus be stored on site. Combustion then takes place in a commercially available combined heat and power plant and condensing boilers. In this way, over 180 residents in 70 apartments in the residential complex of the Augsburg housing group, which has existed since 1974, are supplied with climate-friendly electricity and heat.

"I am delighted that this pioneering project is being implemented as a cooperation between two municipal companies," explained Augsburg's Lord Mayor Dr. Kurt Gribl at the commissioning ceremony. "This innovative smart energy technology is an enormous gain for climate protection and air pollution control in Augsburg," said Stadtwerke Managing Director Alfred Müllner. "It reduces emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxide and particulate matter by up to 100 percent." And the plant enables "the energy turnaround for everyone," says Müllner, including tenants in rental apartments.

A photovoltaic system was installed on the roof of a residential block with almost 5,400 square metres of living space belonging to the housing group in Augsburg's Marconistraße, which was initially refurbished (in accordance with KfW 100). The electricity is preferably consumed directly by the tenants or used to generate hydrogen in an electrolysis plant. This is immediately converted with the carbon dioxide from the subsequent combustion into synthetic, regenerative natural gas and can be easily stored. If required, a combined heat and power plant and condensing boilers generate heat and electricity for the tenants from the natural gas obtained in this way.

A closed circuit

"The system is a closed cycle," explains Stadtwerke project manager Karl-Heinz Viets. "The waste heat from electrolysis and methanation is also used as heat for the house, and the CO2 released from combustion in the combined heat and power plant and the condensing boilers is captured and constantly reused as a recyclable material for the production of synthetic natural gas from hydrogen. In addition, the combustion of renewable natural gas produces no nitrogen oxide and no fine dust."

Utilization rate of around 90 percent

"The special feature: The electricity from the photovoltaic system but also excess electricity from the power grid, can thus be stored at short notice and seasonally with this new type of power-to-gas system," explains Klaus Schirmer, Sales Manager of the executing EXYTRON GmbH. "And because any heat generated during the process can be used in the building, this results in a previously unattainable degree of utilization of around 90 percent."

This highly efficient circuit, developed by the Rostock-based company EXYTRON, can significantly reduce the CO2 footprint of the old, renovated building block to the comparable level of a Passive House Plus standard that has not yet been achieved in the field of existing buildings. This means that the climate protection standard of the German government, which is only planned for the year 2050, can already be implemented today for older existing buildings in a socially acceptable manner.

The tenants save

"The advantage is that the system can be installed in existing buildings without great effort. As a municipal company, we see ourselves in a pioneering role in helping to shape this innovative project. And the best thing is: the tenants still save in the process," says Dr. Mark Dominik Hoppe. The Managing Director of Wohnbaugruppe Augsburg also emphasises: "If the self-sufficiency cycle is interrupted, electricity and gas connections ensure that energy and heat are still available for the residents.

The pilot project, which swa is carrying out together with the housing group in cooperation with EXYTRON GmbH, was initiated and accompanied by the project development company "energy forever" (Dr. Johannes Strasser, Gundelfingen). Work on the plant started in spring 2018 and was commissioned in mid-February 2019.

Source: PM of the Stadtwerke Augsburg

Links
www.sw-augsburg.de/power-to-gas
Innovation Award of the German Gas Industry:
www.sw-augsburg.de/...innovationspreis-fuer-das-power-to-gas-projekt-der-swa
https://exytron.online/klimafreundliches-wohnen-in-augsburg
www.powertogas.info/...exytron-klimafreundliches-wohnen-augsburg

Keywords:
Stock, DE-News, Energy storage, Research, Climate protection, News Blog Bavaria, PV, Power-to-Gas, Quarters, Settlements, Contests & Prizes, Housing, eMobility, Ecology