Articles by
Craig Morris
Renewables International: EU considers allowing “state aid” for nuclear
By
Craig Morris
Again, we are only dealing with proposals here, but clearly the EU is seriously considering allowing capacity payments for nuclear towards ensuring the reliability of de-carbonized power supply; the recent news about feed-in tariffs for nuclear in the UK are thus taking place within this high-level discussion.
Renewables International: Impact of wind turbines on tourism
By
Craig Morris
Jürgen Peters, Professor of Sustainable Development at Eberswalde College in Germany, found (PDF) that 32 percent of tourists and locals do not mind wind turbines at all, while only 9.2 percent do. His findings are in line with a study for the Eifel region in Germany, where 59% of those surveyed (PDF) said they did not mind the turbines, while 28% said they were “acceptable”; in contrast, only 12% said they did not like the turbines.
Renewables International: Utility-scale solar small in Germany
By
Craig Morris
The statistics are further evidence that the German PV market has a relatively large share of small, distributed systems in an international comparison. One reason is strong community and citizen ownership in the country. Indeed, even systems with hundreds or thousands of kilowatts (such as a recent 7.8 MW project) are often owned by communities and citizen investors, not utilities. The label "utility-scale" is therefore probably misleading in Germany to begin with.
Renewables International: Spanish feed-in tariffs – a wrapup
By
Craig Morris
Spain remains in the news with further changes to its feed-in tariffs. We spoke with Berlin-based Canadian analyst Toby Couture to go beyond the headline that "Spain has thrown out feed-in tariffs."
Renewables International: A look at anti-wind campaigners in Germany
By
Craig Morris
In short, the BBC journalist practiced "fair and balanced" journalism. If there are people who want wind power, there must be some who oppose it. In doing so, the BBC gave a tremendous voice to a fringe group resorting to falsifications – and thereby failed to accurately depict the situation in Germany.
Renewables International: Impact of Germany’s Energiewende on the poor
By
Craig Morris
Overall, the Left generally speaks out for the poor in Germany. . . Yet, their study entitled "Poverty risks from the Energiewende" is subtitled "myths, lies, and arguments." It addresses 20 claims – again, we don't have the space here – made against the EEG in terms of the impact on the poor.
Reneawables International: The Energy transition cheaper with citizen investments
By
Craig Morris
Outsiders sometimes claim that Germany's energy transition comes at a high price, with a tremendous impact on the poor. In reality, Germany is giving its citizens a way of safely investing even relatively small amounts of money, such as 500 euros, outside of the casino that our stock markets have become.
Renewables International: Unleashing the force of citizen investors
By
Craig Morris
Americans continue to underestimate the importance of community ownership in the renewables sector. A recent article at Think Progress is the latest example. But one significant number was left out of the calculation, as we discuss in the latest edition of Do the Math!
Renewables International: Czech Republic discontinues feed-in tariffs for PV
By
Craig Morris
The Czech Republic has announced that it will no longer be offering feed-in tariffs for solar arrays installed after this year. But international media should be careful not to interpret the news as a sign of failure. As a comparison reveals, the Czechs are global leaders in PV.
Renewables International: “No additional coal plants in Germany”
By
Craig Morris
Over the past two years, Renewables International has repeatedly argued that there will be no shift to coal power as a result of the nuclear phaseout. So it's nice to see that other independent analysts see things the same way.
Renewables International: 8 MW of Community Owned Solar Launched in Bavaria
By
Craig Morris
Yesterday, we reported on the completion of the largest solar array in Baden-Württemberg, which is also largely owned by local citizens. In nearby Bavaria, a developer of PV arrays has now also announced that four community-owned projects were also completed by the end of April to be eligible for that month's feed-in tariffs.
Renewables International: Community ownership of 7.8 MW solar farm
By
Craig Morris
At the beginning of the month, the largest solar project in Baden-Württemberg was connected to the grid. Its ownership structure is typical of such projects in Germany – and could serve as an example abroad. . .
