Coal

Gemeinsam mit der Deutschen Energie-Agentur (dena) hat das EWI die Entwicklungen in der Stromerzeugung und den Endverbrauchssektoren Gebäude, Industrie und Verkehr seit Veröffentlichung der „dena-Leitstudie Integrierte Energiewende“ untersucht. In der Analyse werden die Veränderungen zwischen 2015, dem Basisjahr der dena-Leitstudie, und heute mit den Transformationspfaden und Modellergebnissen im Jahr 2030 verglichen. Die Zahlen des EWI zeigen: Die in der dena-Leitstudie angenommenen Verbrauchsrückgänge in den Sektoren zeichnen sich nicht ab. Beim Ausbau der erneuerbaren Energien deutet sich vor allem bei der Windenergie ein deutlicher Rückgang an. Die Kennzahlen zeigen, dass die derzeitigen Rahmenbedingungen nicht die richtigen Anreize für eine schnelle und sektorübergreifende Reduzierung der Treibhausgasemissionen setzen. Aufbauend auf der quantitativen Analyse werden umfangreiche Handlungsempfehlungen von der dena erarbeitet, damit Deutschland das selbstgesteckte Klimaziel 2030 noch erreichen kann.

At the end of January, the Coal Commission presented its final report. The EWI examined the effects of that report on behalf of MWIDE NRW (Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia). The European electricity market model DIMENSION+ was used to compare the developments of a reference scenario with those of the phase-out scenario. Based on this analysis and further investigation, an international comparison of electricity prices for selected power-intensive industries was made. In the scenario analysis, the EWI reaches the following key results: The recommended exit path makes it possible to achieve the 2030 climate target for the energy sector even with a moderate increase in demand for electricity. Whereas this target is clearly missed in the reference scenario. However, in the coal phase-out scenario, an ambitious expansion of the number of peak-load power plants by 2025 is necessary in order to ensure security of supply. Electricity prices will rise significantly in both scenarios due to rising prices for CO₂ certificates. For the German industrial companies considered, electricity prices are rising relatively strongly in both scenarios compared with foreign prices. Aid payments to compensate indirect CO₂ costs (so-called electricity price compensation) can reduce the increase in electricity prices.

The BEIS Fossil Fuel Price Assumptions for 2017 present low, central and high assumptions for the wholesale prices of oil, gas and coal for the UK out to 2040. ewi ER&S managing director Dr. Harald Hecking was part of an external expert panel that reviewed the assumptions in an additional report.

With the study „Economic Impacts of a German Coal Phase-Out on the Power Markets in Germany and the EU“, ewi ER&S takes up a proposal made by the German think tank Agora Energiewende in January 2016 concerning a coal phase-out in Germany. The proposal suggests a combination of two policy measures for the power sector. First, it encourages an early decommissioning of the German coal-fired power plants up to 2040 and, secondly, a retirement of emission allowances from the European emissions trading system in the amount of the mitigated CO₂ emissions resulting from the coal phase-out. Based on ewi’s power market model DIMENSION, the study investigates the additional costs and distributional effects of this double-measure for the German and European power markets. The coal phase-out is assessed by economic theory and its projected costs are compared to the amount of CO₂ abated.