Energy

The social impact of energy communities: ten benefits they bring

Energy communities are a collaborative model that constitutes the perfect vessel for directly involving citizens and local communities in renewable energy facilities. As energy communities can have a strong social impact, they play an important role in society - beyond clean energy production. Here are ten examples of economic, social and environmental benefits of energy communities!

By Óscar Güell Elías

Why renewable energy is a guarantee of security for Ukraine during and after the war

Interview

How to plan for recovery in the acute stage of war and will Ukraine be able to switch to 100% renewable energy sources after the end of hostilities? What can Ukraine and the European Union do to help?

By Alyona Vyshnytska

How to break Czechia's dependence on Russian gas

Analysis

What longer-term, environmentally sustainable measures can the Czech Republic introduce to break its dependence on Russian gas while ensuring that no one is left behind?

By Jiří Koželouh and Karel Polanecký

Freezing fuel prices adds fuel to the fire

Commentary

The Hungarian government has found a unique way to prevent fuel prices from rising further by freezing the prices of petrol and diesel at a maximum price of 480 forints and passing the increase in world prices on to domestic distributors. More worryingly, however, this measure is exacerbating the very problems it is supposedly trying to avoid.

By András Lukács

Plan for completion of the Dukovany nuclear power plant continues to pose a security threat

Analysis

Czech Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček refused to exclude Russia’s Rosatom from the tender until it was revealed that operatives from Russian military intelligence, the GRU, were behind the 2014 explosions at munitions warehouses in Vrbětice. Even now, however, the Russian candidate is not out of play entirely. How is that possible, and what does it mean for Czech security?

By František Marčík

The hill leading to the Texas Capitol where locals are playing in the unusual snow.

Texas Power Grid Failure: Causes, Lessons Learned and Implications for EU Energy Market Transformation

Analysis

In mid-February 2021, the US state of Texas, much like the rest of the country, was hit by a series of three severe winter storms. The resulting near-arctic weather conditions have laid bare the long-standing weaknesses and inefficiencies of the Texas energy system.

By Matěj Jungwirth

Gender and the Energy Sector

Romana Marková Volejníčková, Marie Pospíšilová and Alena Křížková from the Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the Prague office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, have collaborated on the preparation of the Czech-language publication Gender a energetika (“Gender and the Energy Sector”). The English translation which you are now reading is an excerpt from this publication and contains the most significant research findings and recommendations in the individual thematic areas.

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“A coalition is not a love match” – Interview with Ralf Fücks

Are the Greens compatible with Angela Merkel? An interview with Ralf Fücks, president of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, on coalitions with Merkel, the rise of the AfD, as well as the foundation’s development over the past 20 years.

By Ralf Fücks

EPH and the prospective Vattenfall deal

The envisaged sale of Vattenfall’s East German lignite assets to EPH has raised many questions about the sustainability of open-cast lignite mining and power generation. It has also shone a spotlight on the prospective new owner.

By Jan Ondřich and Dr. Sabrina Schulz

Turning point: Decoupling Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Economic Growth

The transformation of economic growth towards a lower dependency on fossil fuels and related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is essential for the feasibility of a successful global climate strategy. A study by DIW Econ.

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