Search

Small change won’t do – Why we must change the system to stop the climate crisis

The Climate crisis is hurting the people who have the least resources and voice. Climate action is urgent, and must be well designed to deliver a fair transition globally, as the recently published International System Change Compass (ISCC) describes.  After the G7 summit and before the political summer break the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and the Open Society...

Ampel-Monitor Energiewende Shows the Pace of the Energy Transition Must Be Accelerated Significantly

The so-called traffic light coalition is facing a challenge: it has set ambitious energy policy targets, but can only achieve them if the pace of the energy transition is increased significantly. To contribute to the current energy policy debate, the Ampel-Monitor Energiewende (Monitor of the Traffic Light Coalition’s Energy Transition Targets) was developed at DIW Berlin. Based on open data, the Ampel-Monitor ...

Centralized and Decentral Approaches to Succeed the 100% Energiewende in Germany in the European Context – A Model-based Analysis of Generation, Network, and Storage Investments

In this paper, we explore centralized and more decentral approaches to succeed the energiewende in Germany, in the European context. We use the AnyMOD framework to model a future renewable-based European energy system, based on a techno-economic optimization, i.e. cost minimization with given demand, including both investment and the subsequent dispatch of capacity. The model includes 29 regions for ...

A Collective Blueprint, Not a Crystal Ball: How Expectations and Participation Shape Long-Term Energy Scenarios

The development of energy systems is not a technocratic process but equally shaped by societal and cultural forces. Key instruments in this process are model-based scenarios describing a future energy system. Applying the concept of fictional expectations from social economics, we show how energy scenarios are tools to channel political, economic, and academic efforts into a common direction. To impact ...

Wie kann die Wärmewende für alle gelingen?

Die EU-Richtlinie über die Gesamtenergieeffizienz von Gebäuden (EPBD) etabliert eine neue gesellschaftliche Norm und ein großes politisches Ziel: Bis 2033 sollten alle Wohngebäude einen Mindeststandard an Energieeffizienz erreichen. So sollen Energiekosten und Schocks für Haushalte begrenzt werden und der Energiebedarf reduziert werden, um eine klimaneutrale Energieversorgung für alle zu...

Heating and Electricity Expenses: Saving Incentives Not Impacting Basic Income Recipients

Basic income benefits cover recipients’ actual heating expenses as long as they are not unusually high. In contrast, their electricity expenses are only covered via a lump sum at the standard rate. Thus, basic income recipients have weaker incentives for reducing their heating expenses than for reducing their electricity expenses. Using Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) data, it can be seen that basic income ...

Stranded Nations? Transition Risks and Opportunities towards a Clean Economy

The transition away from a fossil-fuel powered economy towards a cleaner production system will create winners and losers in the global trade system. We compile a list of 'brown' traded products whose use is highly likely to decline if the world is to mitigate climate change, and explore which countries are most at risk of seeing their productive capabilities 'stranded'. Using methods from economic ...

International Partnerships for a Just Energy Transition: Findings from South Africa

In 2021, the G7 and South Africa agreed upon the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). This new instrument in international cooperation should support emerging and developing economies in a just energy transition and in phasing out coal. It is intended to facilitate equal partnerships between donors and recipients, thereby also facilitating the energy transition. An evaluation of the South African ...

Energy Transition Partnerships

Supporting the Transition to Climate-Neutral Production: An Evaluation Under the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures

To reach climate neutrality, carbon emissions from the production of basic materials need to be curtailed. When governments encourage this transition by adopting support measures, the measures must comply with the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures. This article analyzes three selected support schemes under the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures: (i) free allocation ...