On 11 September 2020, Economic Affairs Minister Peter Altmaier presented a proposal for an alliance of society, business and government to foster climate neutrality and prosperity. The paper contains 20 specific proposals to boost climate action and economic strength. Altmaier stressed that the business sector, and especially small and medium-sized enterprises, would need support and a reliable basis on which to make plans as they embark on this necessary transition. He added that the path to climate neutrality can only be travelled successfully, and social cohesion maintained, if climate action and commercial activity are reconciled.
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Governments could bring the immediate need for economic incentives into line with the medium-term to long-term goals of decarbonisation and sustainable development by orienting policy measures and public spending to the energy transition – this is the message from a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).The paper provides practical insights and recommendations for governments to stimulate investment and policy action for economies post-COVID-19. The main findings: the report says that increasing public and private-sector energy spending to USD 4.5 trillion could boost the world economy by another 1.3% per year, creating 19 million new jobs in the field of the energy transition by 2030. The number of jobs in the field of renewable energy alone could thus triple to 30 million by 2030, says the report. This means that each million dollars invested in renewable energy would create three times as many jobs as investment in fossil fuel. The report concludes that strategic investments in the energy transition should be the immediate priority. The report is based on the Global Renewables Outlook 2020, which was published in the spring and which highlights the possibility for global energy transition in line with the Paris Agreement.
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A fourth smart meter gateway has passed the Federal Office for Information Security's test. Smart meter gateways are the key technology for the digitisation of the energy transition. The smart metering system can do much more than a conventional electricity meter. A smart meter system consists of a digital meter and a central communications unit, the smart meter gateway. They provide each of the actors – from the grid operator, to the electricity supplier, right through to the consumer – with important information on generation and consumption. This will make it possible, for example, for the electricity grids to be controlled more smartly and used more efficiently in future.
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The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is hosting the 14th SET Plan conference in Berlin on 23 and 24 November 2020 together with the European Commission. It is already possible to register for the conference on the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan). The SET Plan supports the energy transition at European level and identifies key areas of research and innovation needed for a climate-neutral energy supply. The conference gives all decision-makers, researchers and stakeholders an opportunity to join the discussions on the shape of the future energy supply. The main focuses of this year's conference include system integration, hydrogen, offshore wind energy and the Green Deal's renovation wave.
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