Despite Berlin’s intention to interconnect coal-fired power stations to make up for declining fossil fuel supplies from Russia, a Sunday report suggested that the Ukraine conflict’s effects could hasten Germany’s shift to green energy. The German government has been practicing a switch to renewable energy, hoping that by 2030, they will produce 80% of the nation’s electricity.
A study by credit insurer Allianz Trade, Germany’s green energy goals will likely lead to a rise in the number of renewable energies in the country’s electricity mix over the medium term, possibly going beyond what is necessary to meet the Paris Climate Agreement’s 2035 targets.
According to the report, the EU’s carbon trading system will limit coal-fired power output, preventing it from rising over the level the German government agreed to earlier this month.
A report says, due to the high EU emissions trading prices, coal is not expected to replace Russian gas on a long-term basis. Markus Zimmer, the study’s author, predicted that “(Coal-fired power generation) will be forced out of the market.” He added that planning and approval processes for renewable energy must be streamlined and expedited to achieve the targets set forth by the German government.
