Despite the ongoing appetite of financial investors for merchant investments into the European electricity network, the EC is reluctant to approve such undertakings, thus implicitly favoring regulated investments. Based on a two-level model, we analyze the impact of profit-maximizing merchant...

The purpose of this paper is to illuminate the geographical diffusion of photovoltaic installations in Germany quantitatively and to test if preexisting photovoltaic systems stimulate further installations nearby; thus we investigate to which extent knowledge flows depend on geographic...

According to the climate target set by the German government for 2020, greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced by 40 percent compared to 1990 levels. However, current projections indicate that this target will only be achieved if further measures are implemented. The power sector has an...

For the European Union to keep on track with its energy and climate targets, large investments are required in electricity generation, infrastructure and energy efficiency. The electricity sector takes the center stage. This article delivers an overview of several estimates of the investment...

In spite of the March 2011 nuclear moratorium, the German electricity system's ability to provide a secure supply has not been jeopardized to date, and there is no prospect of this occurring in the coming decade, either. The system currently has major overcapacities due to construction of...

In the second year after the shutdown of seven nuclear power plants in March 2011, the situation of the German high voltage electricity transmission grid remained robust. Even though some expansion projects are behind schedule, the grid reconstruction advances steadily as several essential lines...

Die Modernisierung und der Ausbau der Stromübertragungsnetze schreitet in Deutschland langsam, aber sicher voran. Trotz des Atomausstiegs gibt es kurzfristig also keinen Grund zur Sorge wegen einer potenziellen Netzlücke. In den Jahren 2007 bis 2010 waren die wegen Netzengpässen notwendigen...

In an electricity industry increasingly characterized by renewable energy sources, there is much controversy surrounding the future of lignite in Germany. In all three lignite mining regions (Rhineland, central Germany, and Lausitz), there are plans for new lignite-fired power stations and...