Generation In Germany Research Articles

The influence of experience and knowledge on reactor safety in Germany

After five decades of nuclear power generation in Germany, the government decided to phase out nuclear power plants until 2022 as a consequence of the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Electricity generation is accompanied by human and technical errors, which questions if the nuclear phase-out has an influence on reactor safety. Past errors, available as so-called reportable events of nuclear power plants, can be approximated with experience measured in cumulated electricity generation by applying the Duffey–Saull method with a high coefficient of determination (R² = 0.84). Errors are declining with growing experience, which means the reportable events per TWh are declining over time. Today, approximately 0.9 reportable events per generated TWh occur and, given unchanging operational conditions, it is expected to remain at this magnitude in the near future. Moreover, knowledge induced by public Research and Development expenditures may supplement experience in reducing reportable events. Thus, the cumulative fission knowledge stock of Germany was added to the Duffey–Saull method for the first time. By adjusting the knowledge depreciation rate within this extended method, the prediction of reportable events is more accurate. Best results were obtained with 10.8% depreciation rate, which is also in line with the literature.

Integrating distributed generation: Regulation and trends in three leading countries

This paper explores the trends in the deployment and integration of distributed generation in Germany, Denmark and Sweden. The study concentrates on the regulation of renewable energy generation with a focus on grid access and connection mechanisms. The high rate of distributed generation penetration is mainly based on the early support that these countries gave to the expansion of renewable energy generation – mainly wind and solar – within their respective national policies. Germany and Denmark are the ones with the most sophisticated support schemes, which have shown a dynamic design over time. In terms of connections, Germany has the most favorable connection regime which provides not only priority connection but also priority grid access for generation units that produce electricity from renewable energy sources. Sweden guarantees equal treatment among different technologies (i.e. a non-discrimination principle). High connection costs have been observed specially in Germany and Denmark. The costs of network upgrades are usually socialised across demand customers. However, integration issues should be taken into consideration in order to avoid expansion of distributed generation in a way which unnecessarily raises total system costs, via high connection costs.

Student Culture Among 68 Movement Generation in Germany -Focusing on the development of alternative dwelling type-

Student Culture Among 68 Movement Generation in Germany -Focusing on the development of alternative dwelling type-

An Illustrative Note on the System Price Effect of Wind and Solar Power: The German Case

Exposing wind and solar power to the market price signal allows for cost-efficient investment decisions, as it incentivizes investors to account for the marginal value ( $$MV^{el}$$ ) of renewable energy technologies. As shown by Lamont (2008), the $$MV^{el}$$ of wind and solar power units depends on their penetration level. More specifically, the $$MV^{el}$$ of wind and solar power units is a function of the respective unit’s capacity factor and the covariance between its generation profile and the system marginal costs. The latter component of the $$MV^{el}$$ (i.e., the covariance) is found to decline as the wind and solar power penetration increases, displacing dispatchable power plants with higher short-run marginal costs of power production and thus reducing the system marginal costs in all generation hours. This so called ‘system price effect’ is analyzed in more detail in this paper. The analysis complements the work of Lamont (2008) in two regards. First of all, an alternative expression for the $$MV^{el}$$ of wind and solar power units is derived, which shows that the $$MV^{el}$$ of fluctuating renewable energy technologies depends not only on their own penetration level but also on a variety of other parameters that are specific to the electricity system. Second, based on historical wholesale prices and wind and solar power generation data for Germany, a numerical ‘ceteris paribus’ example for Germany is presented which illustrates that the system price effect is already highly relevant for both wind and solar power generation in Germany.

The merit order effect of wind and photovoltaic electricity generation in Germany 2008–2016: Estimation and distributional implications

Generation from renewable energy sources in Germany has experienced a considerable uptake in recent years. Mainly responsible for this development is the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz, EEG). This paper considers redistributive implications of the EEG for different electricity consumers. Using time-series regression analysis, we show that electricity generation by wind and PV has reduced spot market prices considerably by 6€/MWh in 2010 rising to 10€/MWh in 2012. We use these results to build a near-term forecasting tool for merit order effects, projected to reach 14-16€/MWh in 2016. On the other hand, the costs of the EEG are passed forward to consumers in the form of a surcharge. Our findings highlight significant redistributive transfers under the current design of the EEG. In particular, some energy-intensive industries are benefiting from lower wholesale electricity prices whilst being largely exempted from contributing to the costs of the scheme. We also highlight implications of our results for other areas for reform of the EEG, such as adequate remuneration mechanisms that ensure efficient operation and investment decisions are made under the scheme. More generally, these findings suggest that policy makers need to integrate distributional assessments into policy design and implementation.

How retirement changes consumption and household production of food: Lessons from German time-use data

Abstract In order to test whether a retirement-consumption puzzle does exist, we examine how food-related time use alters within the 50+ generation in Germany due to retirement. Based on the German Time-Use Survey, time-use patterns of retired and non-retired persons are compared statistically and determinants of time-use are elaborated by the use of double-hurdle and multiple regression models. With retirement, major changes take place in the food-related time use. Work-related food-away-from-home consumption is substituted by food production and consumption at home and associated shopping activities. Leisure-related away-from-home consumption gains importance for a portion of pensioners. These impacts are strong and highly significant for German households. By and large, there is no indication of a retirement-consumption puzzle but of a planned behavioral change in a new phase of life. Econometric analysis shows that other personal and sociodemographic variables explain food-related time use patterns in the 50+ generation, in particular gender, age, perceived health and the educational level attained.

Balancing Fluctuating Renewable Energy Generation Using Cogeneration and Heat Pump Systems

AbstractFuture energy supply will depend increasingly on fluctuating renewable energy generation. This requires new techniques and methods to deal with fluctuations in the grid. Thermal energy systems with thermal storage capacities linked to the electrical grid, for example, combined heat and power (CHP) and heat pump systems can provide additional and necessary storage capacities. This study examines the potential of CHP electricity generation and heat pump electricity consumption in residential buildings to balance fluctuations of renewable energy generation in Germany’s future energy system. The optimal operation strategy is derived using mixed integer linear programming. The results show that CHP and heat pump systems can shift electrical energy to balance the residual load. The positive and negative peak load are reduced by 14 % and 33 %, respectively, and the surplus energy generation decreases by 59 %. An increase in thermal storage capacity reinforces these effects.

Improving Congestion Management: How to Facilitate the Integration of Renewable Generation in Germany

In this paper the German congestion management regime is analyzed and future congestion management costs are assessed given a higher share of intermittent renewable generation. In this context, cost-based re-dispatching of power plants and technical flexibility through topology optimization are considered as market-based and technical congestion management methods. To replicate the current market regime in Germany a two-step procedure is chosen consisting of a transactional spot market model and a congestion management model. This uniform pricing model is compared to a nodal pricing regime. The results show that currently congestion can mainly be managed by re-dispatching power plants and optimizing the network topology. However, congestion management costs tend to increase significantly in future years if the developments of transmission as well as generation infrastructure diverge. It is concluded that there is a need for improving the current congestion management regime to achieve an efficient longterm development of the German electricity system.

Youth protest in Germany? An analysis based on the results of the Shell Youth Studies

Youth protest, sometimes accompanied by riots, in a number of European countries over the last few years repeatedly trigger the question whether similar forms of protest can be expected in the near future from young people in Germany as well. While any, often spontaneous eruption of (violent) protest, can never be predicted with certainty, we argue, based on an analysis of the last Shell Youth Studies (cf. Shell Deutschland 2002, 2006, 2010), that it is rather unlikely to happen in Germany, indeed that if anything this likelihood has decreased over recent years. We identify three explanations for the – compared to a range of other European countries – striking acquiescence of the current young generation in Germany: 1. A range of institutions that keep young Germans in the education system until they finally find employment, 2. a strong culture of pragmatic individualism, and 3. a strong distrust of political parties.

Renewable electricity generation in Germany: A meta-analysis of mitigation scenarios

German energy policy targets envision a share of electricity from renewable energy sources (RES-E) of at least 80% in 2050. How can the transformation of the German electricity sector be achieved and at what costs? This paper addresses these questions by means of a meta-analysis of 10 recent model-based mitigation scenarios for Germany. It turns out that the scenarios exploit the three basic strategic options of increasing the share of RES-E – domestic RES-E generation, electricity demand reductions, and RES-E imports – to substantially different extents. Domestic RES-E generation increases in all scenarios, particularly from onshore and offshore wind. Scenarios that rely heavily on reducing electricity demand require a relatively low expansion of domestic RES-E generation. Despite detailed technical analyses, insights on the costs of the transformation remain limited. A discussion of underlying scenario assumptions reveals that it is unclear whether (i) RES-E and system integration technology development will be as cost-competitive as postulated, (ii) implicitly assumed institutional requirements will be realized, and (iii) relevant actors in the transformation process will be incentivized accordingly. Therefore, future research should pursue a thorough assessment of strategic options for transforming the German electricity system that consistently integrates technologies, institutions, and actors.

A general technology adoption model of solar photovoltaic under feed-in tariff policy incorporating learning and network effects

There is now a plethora of renewable energy policy instruments to support the adoption of renewable energy technology and the generation of renewable electricity. Different ways to characterize such policies have included whether these policies are Price driven or Quota (Quantity) driven, generation based or capacity driven, etc. All such incentive-based policies (vs. Command and control policies) attempt to correct market failure of under supply of renewable energy. This paper uses a technology adoption approach to study the feed-in tariff policy for the photovoltaic (PV) technology. We developed a general economic model to study the adoption incentive for smaller system under a feed-in tariff regime. The model incorporates both the learning effect of system cost and a negative network externality effect inherent in the feed-in tariff policy. The latter is due to that nonadopters would need to contribute to payment for adopters' electricity generation. Using numerical methods, we demonstrated that the feed-in tariff model has the potential to exhibit bandwagon or accelerated adoption effects. Cost learning is key to contributing to this but network effects would serve to dampen it. Our model seems to able to explain the rapid growth pattern in PV systems installation capacity and generation in Germany during the growth period of 1999–2003. We explore some policy implications of the model and suggest future research directions.

SCENIC MEMORY OF THE SHOAH—“THE ADVENTURESOME LIFE OF ALFRED SILBERMANN”

This paper addresses the late psychosocial sequelae of extreme trauma and its impact on the Second Generation in Germany. The example of the short-term analysis of a Shoah survivor and his relationship to his son conducted in his home environment shows how psychic consequences of extreme traumatization and more particularly their unconscious transgenerational transmission to the Second Generation mainly take place as part of unconscious "scenes". The concept of "scenic memory of the Shoah" goes beyond the classical type of transference.

Promoting Alternative Energy Programs in Developed Countries: A Review

This paper presents a review of the promoting programs of solar and wind energies in different countries including Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, USA, Australia, China and India with an emphasis on Germany as a notable example. The success of each program is discussed in detail. The results of the investigation conducted in the paper have shown that some renewable energy laws have proven to be extremely successful. Among such laws, is the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) in Germany, which guaranteed 20 years of stable prices for green power and has already brought many homeowners and businesses to install photovoltaic modules and to feed their electricity into the national grid. By the year 2010, the clean production of electricity by renewable energies in Germany has risen to around 202,000 GWh. In addition, about 70 million tons of CO2 emissions in 2009 were avoided through the use of renewable energies in electricity generation in Germany.

Introduction to How Can the Children of World War II German National Socialist Sympathizers and Jewish Survivors Talk to Each Other

This article is an introduction to articles by Peter Pogany-Wnendt and Gottfried Wagner in this issue. In this article the author describes his own experience in coming to terms with his German-American heritage and the role that Germans of his parents’ generation in Germany played in the Holocaust. His goal has been to understand how reconciliation can occur between children of Holocaust survivors and children of Nazi sympathizers. Keywords: Holocaust, children of survivors, Naziism, Germany in World War II

Bioenergy production and use: Comparative analysis of the economic and environmental effects

This study analyses the use of liquid, solid and gaseous biomass for power generation in Germany with respect to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), a significant policy instrument for promoting electricity generation based on renewable energy sources. The aim is the identification of bioenergy conversion pathways that have a low environmental impact and are cost-effective. To achieve this objective several research steps were undertaken, including a life-cycle analysis (LCA), economic analysis and the determination of the CO2 abatement costs.Besides, the authors show and discuss how a simplification of the environmental assessment by considering only the impact category greenhouse gases or the application of different calculation methodologies (i.e. allocation rules between electricity and heat produced) can affect the results.Overall the results show that the use of solid (wood) and gaseous biomass pathways causes both the lowest environmental impacts and electricity production costs when used for electricity generation. The choice of the modelling and calculation methodology may significantly influence the outcome (i.e. application of an exergetic allocation increases the environmental burden related to electricity generation). The lowest CO2-abatement costs were determined for the biodegradable waste pathway.

Municipal Added Value through Solar Power Systems in the City of Freiburg

The transformation of the conventional energy system towards renewable energies has entailed an increasing decentralization of energy generation in Germany, as the production units are smaller and draw on regional potentials. This can result in positive socio-economic effects in regions where the potential is exploited. The focus of this paper lies on evaluating existing methods and developing new ones, which can be used to determine local added value through renewable energy systems. The methods were required to cover direct as well as induced municipal added value effects and to include all steps of the examined value chain. A combination of methods was tested in a case study for the solar power system value chain in the city of Freiburg (ca. 220,000 inhabitants). The added value through this sector in the year 2009 was calculated at 30.8 million euros through direct effects and 6.2 million euros through induced effects. This total municipal added value of 37 million euros can be converted into roughly 1,500 jobs within the city boundaries. Based on some conservative assumptions, these numbers should be considered as minimum values.

Geothermal Electricity Generation in Germany

AbstractDer Geothermie als CO2‐freier und heimischer Energiequelle kommt aufgrund ihrer hohen Verfügbarkeit im künftigen Energiemix eine besondere Rolle zu. Allein Deutschland verfügt mit seinen drei Geothermieregionen – Norddeutsches Becken, Oberrheingraben und Bayrisches Molassebecken – über ein geothermisches Gesamtpotenzial von etwa 33,3 · 104 TWh. Dass sich die Technologie bereits in der Praxis bewährt hat, zeigen nicht zuletzt die bestehenden Geothermiekraftwerke. Aus der bisherigen Entwicklung geht zudem hervor, dass die heutigen Gestehungskosten künftig weiter reduziert werden können. Eine wirtschaftliche Nutzung der Erdwärme zur Stromerzeugung ist unter den Maßgaben des Erneuerbaren Energien Gesetzes auch in Niederenthalpie‐Gebieten wie Deutschland absehbar.

Improving Congestion Management - How to Facilitate the Integration of Renewable Generation in Germany

In this paper we analyze the German congestion management regime and assess future congestion management costs given a higher share of intermittent renewable generation. In this context, cost-based re-dispatching of power plants and technical flexibility through topology optimization are considered as market-based and technical congestion management methods. To replicate the current market regime in Germany a two-step procedure is chosen consisting of a transactional spot market model and a congestion management model. The results show that currently congestion can mainly be managed by optimizing the network topology. However, congestion management costs tend to increase significantly in future years even if proposed network extensions are taken into account due to higher wind generation and proposed power plant investments, both located mainly in northern Germany. The phase-out of German nuclear power plants additionally impacts congestion management costs. We conclude that there is a need for improving the current congestion management regime.

Development of cogeneration in Germany: A mean-variance portfolio analysis of individual technology’s prospects in view of the new regulatory framework

The Integrated Energy and Climate Protection Program of the German government includes the political target of doubling the share of combined heat and power generation (CHP) in Germany from currently about 13% to 25% by 2020. In order to reach this goal, a new CHP law was enacted to improve the framework conditions for CHP generation. In this paper, we aim at identifying which CHP technologies are most likely to be installed in the near future to reach the CHP target stipulated by the German government. In our model, we apply Mean-Variance Portfolio (MVP) theory to consider return- and risk-related aspects of various CHP technologies. The analysis pays tribute to specific characteristics of CHP generation, such as promotion via guaranteed feed-in tariffs, additional revenues from heat sales, specific operational features, and specifics concerning the allocation of CO 2 allowances. The investigation is based on four generic standard CHP technologies currently available on a commercial basis: large coal-fired CHP plants, combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGT-CHP), engine-CHP and micro-turbine CHP. As selection criteria for the portfolio performance we take, independently from each other, the net present value (NPV) of investment in CHP and the expected annual portfolio return, and compare the results obtained from both approaches. Irrespective of the chosen selection criteria, the analysis shows that CCGT-CHP and engine-CHP are the most attractive CHP technologies from a return perspective. A diversification of the portfolio with other kinds of CHP technologies can contribute to stabilizing portfolio returns. In view of the results obtained we conclude for the further development of CHP generation in Germany that a large portion of additional new CHP capacity will probably be built in the industrial sector.

The impact of the European Union emission trading scheme on the electricity-generation sector

In order to comply with their commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, France and Germany participate in the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) which predominantly concerns the electricity-generation sectors. In this paper we ask whether the EU ETS provides the appropriate economic incentives to produce an efficient system in line with the Kyoto commitments. If so, electricity producers in the countries concerned should include the price of carbon in their cost functions. After identifying different sub-periods of the EU ETS during its pilot phase (2005–2007), we model the prices of various electricity contracts in France and Germany and look at the volatility of electricity prices around their fundamentals while evaluating the correlation between electricity prices in the two countries. We find that electricity producers in both countries were constrained to include the carbon price in their cost functions during the first two years of the EU ETS. Over this period, German electricity producers were more constrained than their French counterparts, and the inclusion of the carbon price in the electricity-generation cost function was much more stable in Germany than in France. We also find evidence of fuel switching in electricity generation in Germany after the collapse of the carbon market. Furthermore, the European market for emission allowances has greatly contributed to the partial alignment of the wholesale price of electricity in France to that in Germany.