Germany's nuclear phase-out was a rare issue on which both lawmakers and the international power generation industry agreed. Unfortunately, while German politicians solidly backed the new policy, power professionals were uniformly sceptical.

The scale of the challenge that Germany may have set itself was underscored at POWER-GEN Europe in Milan this July. In response to a request from a speaker for a show of hands, almost his entire audience at the trade show's conference raised their arms in disapproval of Angela Merkel's decision to scrap her nuclear reprieve.

Energy-efficiency policy

Such discussions of sacrificing industry to decarbonisation reflect a strong popular environmental commitment that already drives energy efficiency policy. In August this year the Federal Cabinet agreed a second national Energy Efficiency Action Plan that confirms that Germany will meet savings laid down in the EU directive on energy end-use efficiency and energy services. Germany's target under the directive is to achieve energy savings totalling 9 per cent by 2016 (measured against average annual energy consumption for the period 2001–05).

Germany's ambitions in its NREAP were already the highest of all EU Member States and – at 14 per cent – near its potential of 17 per cent under a High Policy Intensity (HPI) scenario, according to the Roadmap 2050 initiative. In the building sector, the refurbishment rate is to double from 1 per cent to 2 per cent, with a goal of nearly carbon neutral building stock by 2050.

Resource:  http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/print/volume-19/issue-10/features/germany-eyes-energy-efficiency-after-its-nuclear-withdrawal.html

15th paper on 5th month:  Germany's efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by anticipating a new regulatory framework and its significance for environmental policy.