On the last day of the past year 2021, Germany shut down 3 out of 6 nuclear reactors it owns, although this measure was in line with the orientations of the Green Party, one of the parties of the new ruling coalition, but closing those reactors was among the pledges of the Merkel government in 2011. Although the reactors Nuclear supplies Germany with about 11% of its electricity needs. The current German government’s orientation towards clean energy prompted it to search for environmentally friendly sources.
Negotiations to form the German government were not easy for all the parties participating in it – in the coalition known as the “Traffic Light Alliance” – at the forefront of the contentious issues, energy policy and the transition to a clean, carbon-free alternative energy, and its “economic, social and political” consequences emerged. It touches German society in all its shades.
In their final paper, which included 12 pages devoted to future energy policy, the coalition parties agreed on the need for an ambitious expansion of renewable energy and climate protection projects. The Green Party, which currently leads 6 ministries in the government coalition, emerged in it, including foreign affairs, economy, climate protection, environment, nature protection and nuclear safety. In the negotiations, the Greens were able to impose their agenda, and their ambitious policies that give the highest priority to climate protection and aggressive access to clean alternative energy that fully covers Germany’s energy needs in the future.
The agreement revealed the ruling parties’ pledge to develop a climate protection law, starting in 2022, and to adopt the immediate climate protection project called for by the Greens in the federal election campaign. Which is used to finance the expansion of renewable energy projects, which automatically speeds up the work in these projects, and these projects will be increasingly funded through the federal budget starting in 2022.
The end of dependence on coal
The current government seeks to end reliance on coal in power generation by 2030, and although the agreement came through the three parties, this ambitious and cautious project – at the same time – requires diligent work to reach that, especially since coal energy sources Coal, brown and nuclear energy accounted for 43% until 2019, the year in which the use of alternative energy increased, and energy production from coal and nuclear energy decreased by 30%, and this accelerated decline came as a result of reliance on wind and solar energy.
Will Germany succeed in the transition to clean energy?
In response to Al Jazeera Net’s question about the possibility of achieving the Green Party’s ambition to move to clean energy, energy expert Samer Rahal said that this also requires a gradual disposal of coal energy (stone and brown) mainly used in Germany to generate electricity, and this disposal must be achieved. perfectly and completely by 2030.
And 80% of Germany’s electricity needs (about 600 TWh) must come from renewable energies. For comparison, in 2020, renewable energy sources produced only about 246 TWh of electricity, which means that in the next 8 years, double what was done compared to the total of the past 20 years in the expansion of renewable energy projects.
The German experience is consistent with the plans of the European Union
There is no doubt that for the success of local environmental laws in the countries of the European Union, cooperation between the governments of those countries is necessary, given the facilities for movement and trade between the countries of the European Union, and the three combined parties emphasized the need to expand renewable energy projects (solar, wind energy and green hydrogen). Significantly, removing all bureaucratic obstacles to it, and it was agreed to end all combustion engines for machinery by 2030, in accordance with the European Union policy and plans known as “Programm der EU, Fit” for 55), which will only allow neutral (i.e. zero carbon) electric motors to run in 2035.
Is the Nord Stream 2 gas line stopped political or environmental?
The new Foreign Minister Annalina Birbock seeks to make climate policy a priority for the work of future German foreign policy. For example, German foreign policy – as part of Germany’s upcoming presidency of the Group of Seven – seeks to establish an international climate club in 2022, and to establish climate partnerships with developing and emerging countries from By promoting mutual knowledge and technology transfer, expanding independent value-added renewable energies projects, sustainable infrastructure and other climate protection measures in developing and emerging countries.
The completed file of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline – which has not yet been operated – remains one of the most important challenges facing the current government. Minister Birbock has repeatedly opposed the operation of operating it in the current form, based on its danger to the environment and climate, as well as important geopolitical factors in light of the current conflict. in Ukraine.
The fate of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline remains suspended at the current stage. According to the agreement of the coalition that formed the government, European energy law will be adhered to, and therefore the process of permitting its operation was stopped by the Federal Agency for Certification, while the German politician and former member of the Green Party, Jamal Karselli, considered that stopping the implementation of Nord Stream 2 was due to purely political reasons, It has nothing to do with the environment.
He added – in his interview with Al Jazeera Net – that the position on operating the gas pipeline is political and has nothing to do with the environment; So that Russia does not put pressure on Germany politically, especially in light of what he described as the “bullying” policy led by Russian President Putin in Ukraine, and work to make Europe at the mercy of Russia through its dependence on Russian gas, in light of Europe’s great need for energy, so packaging Shutting down the project on environmental grounds is inaccurate; Gas is considered environmentally friendly when compared to coal, and this is consistent with the policy of the Green Party calling for preserving the climate and the environment, noting that the Green Party – in its objection to the implementation of the gas pipeline – proceeded from the fact that this contract contradicts the laws of the European Union.