17:10 min, talk by Andrew Waugh in March 2020.
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
For four years now, Tallinn residents have been able to travel by bus and train free of charge. As expected, the utilisation of buses and trams has increased by around 10 percent, but car traffic has barely decreased.
Keywords:
Car Free, Communities, Mobility, News Blog Europe (without DE), Environmental policy
The housing shortage is an immense social problem in many large cities and conurbations. At the same time, the building sector has been failing to meet its environmental and climate targets for years. In a recent position paper, the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and the Commission for Sustainable Building at the UBA (KNBau) have examined how more affordable housing can be created without unnecessarily harming the environment and health. According to this paper, the most important factor for more environmental protection in housing construction is that the existing building stock is preserved wherever possible or is sensibly converted and repurposed. This is the easiest way to avoid climate emissions and unnecessarily high consumption of raw materials. Today, UBA President Prof. Dr. Dirk Messner presented KNBau's proposals to Federal Minister of Building Klara Geywitz and Federal Minister of the Environment Steffi Lemke in Berlin.
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke: "Water scarcity and heat as a result of the climate crisis are putting our cities and their inhabitants under stress. What we need are climate-resilient cities with a cleverly planned blue and green infrastructure of water and urban greenery for nature and human recreation. When it comes to much-needed housing, we can at the same time protect the environment andClimateprotect: In view of the enormous demand for resources in the building sector, we must think housing creation, resource conservation and climate adaptation together. If new housing is created primarily in inner cities and on brownfield sites, and existing buildings are renovated and converted, this saves energy, waste and greenhouse gases and reduces land consumption."
Klara Geywitz, Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building: "Building andClimate protectionmust always be thought of together and socially. To forego climate standards today when building - whether it is a conversion, an extension or a new building - is already unprofitable in the short term and will harm future generations. We need a new orientation. To achieve this, we must move away from focusing on thePrimary energy consumptiontowards a life cycle assessment of new and existing buildings that takes into account the entire greenhouse gas balance. We are already implementing this with the QNG seal. With the upcoming municipal heat planning as an important component of the heat transition and the upcoming major amendment to the Building Code, which will take up many of the demands from this study, we are planning further necessary steps on the way to the triad 'Building - Climate Protection - Social'."
UBA-President Prof. Dr. Dirk Messner: "In addition to the urgently needed new construction, we must focus more on the conversion and reuse of existing buildings. Otherwise we will miss our climate and resource protection targets in the building sector. The socio-ecological transformation of our cities needs a paradigm shift. New housing in existing buildings saves raw materials and protects the open landscape from further urban sprawl. We also need to recycle and loop much more building materials."
Dr Matthias Lerm, Head of the Magdeburg Urban Planning Office and, together with Prof. Christa Reicher, Head of KNBau: "We also advocate establishing the new guiding principle of triple inner development in urban planning. This means that the urban planning of the future must not play off the three pillars of compact building, healthy urban greenery and sustainable mobility against each other: If today's car park courtyards become house gardens again, this must be accompanied by suitable mobility alternatives, i.e. expanded public transport and sharing services as well as additional bicycle lanes and pedestrian areas. And if, instead of small-scale and loosened up, there is more compact and space-saving building in the future, then intensively usable playgrounds and climate-effective green corridors must also be included in the projects".
In order to reduce climate emissions and the consumption of raw materials in construction, KNBau recommends adapting the model building code and various state building codes. In future, they should be oriented towards ambitious sustainability criteria and, for example, provide for the conservation of resources and the priority of existing buildings over new ones. Promoting framework conditions for the use of particularly ecological building materials should also be anchored there, as well as allowing reduced minimum distances for photovoltaic systems on roofs. In addition, legal foundations in state building codes should be expanded so that standards for precautionary measures against hazards to health and the environment can be prescribed.
Source: UBA PM of 20.02.2023
www.umweltbundesamt.de/...dem-wohnraummangel-oekologisch-begegnen
Keywords:
Stock, DE-News, Renewable, Climate protection, Recycling, Resource efficiency, Environmental policy, Housing, Housing policy
6 min. Published on 20.5.2020
The short video gives a first insight into the DGNB system for districts in the 2020 version. Which criteria are relevant? Which types of neighbourhoods can be certified according to DGNB?
Keywords:
DGNB, Movies, Movies 4 to 10 Min, Quarters
