Bulletin de l’Association de Géographes Français (Mar 2016)
Current issues and challenges in the geography of energy in Germany
Abstract
Following the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, the German Federal Government has decided to implement the so called “Energiewende” (energy transition). Thereby Germany aims to opt out of nuclear energy by 2022 while simultaneously expanding renewable energy sources in the field of power generation. These political decisions involve several challenges for energy production and consumption on the largest energy market in Europe, as well as conflicts with the neighbouring countries. In this article we analyze the most important laws and regulations regarding the energy business, the energy policy on the EU level, the implications of the energy transition on different spatial levels and the key actors in the process of the energy transition from a governance perspective.
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