Renewable Energy – “We are the energy transition!” read one of the many placards hoisted in the air at the Germany-wide “Stop the Solar Energy Exit” demonstration at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate on Monday. According to the event’s organizers, 11,000 people were on hand for the protest against the Merkel government’s energy policies.
The protesters and speakers from the three main opposition parties – the Social Democrats, Greens, and the Left Party – as well as the solar power industry, and several major trade unions accused the center-right government of undermining Germany’s historic Energiewende, or energy transition. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the government shut down half of its nuclear power plants and pledged to accelerate the country’s transition to renewable energies.
Yet, nearly a year down the road, there is still no overreaching strategy for Germany to meet the ambitious targets it set for itself, including having 36 percent of its electricity generated by green sources in 2020. Moreover, in recent weeks the government announced a draft law that includes hefty reduction in the subsidies that solar power receives from its Feed-in Tariff. A second element in the draft law shifts responsibility for the amount of renewable electricity eligible for support from parliament to the ministries. This has Energiewende proponents worried that investors will be subject to short-term ministry decisions that will undermine security of planning and financing of projects.
The moves triggered a storm of protest from the solar industry, members of which claim that the abrupt and steep cuts will endanger Germany’s aggressive solar energy development and jeopardize tens of thousands of jobs…
via Protest in Germany: “Protect Solar Jobs!” | Renewable Energy News Article.
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The moves triggered a storm of protest from the solar industry, members of which claim that the abrupt and steep cuts will endanger Germany’s aggressive solar energy development and jeopardize tens of thousands of jobs.
I feel that this is not a so good news for many reasons, and it will an effect outside of Germany as well as, reason been that the German’s have been leading in various industries in the past 30 years and should carry on to do so now, especially on such matters, but apparently is not working out for them and the effect will be felt in Europe and across the globe.
Posted by Otis | March 22, 2012, 4:19 am