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Contributions from
the Column
Media
Make law not war
Human security:
useful survey
Anchor country China:
business perspectives
Energy policy:
a worthy introduction
01/2006 |
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Energy policy: a worthy
introduction
Danyel Reiche (ed.):
Grundlagen der Energiepolitik
[Fundamentals of Energy Policy].
Frankfurt, Verlag Peter Lang 2005,
334 pages, ¤ 39.80, ISBN 3-631-52858-2
Rising oil prices, sustainable energy sources, nuclear renaissance – once again energy issues dominate headlines. Not only in Germany. People all over the world are asking what steps we should take to ensure reliable supply in the future. Klaus Töpfer, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, is calling for an “energy revolution” in response to climate change. The demand for energy in the emerging market countries such as China and India is increasing by up to nine percent each year. Meanwhile, a third of the world population has no access whatsoever to modern forms of energy.
Danyel Reiche of the Environment Policy Research Unit of the Free University of Berlin has compiled this collection of articles by young scientists. Anyone with an interest in energy politics will find what they need to know here. To what extent do we rely on each individual energy source? Who or what has an influence on policy? What tools can legislators use? This book is designed for the interested layperson as well as the expert, and examines the subject both intelligibly and in depth. Its forays into the history of the energy industry are particularly gripping and vivid.
The focus, however, remains on an analysis of the sources of energy we currently use. In contrast to other investigations, renewable sources do not eke out a wallflower existence here. It is disappointing that no space has been devoted to decentralised energy (DE), combined heat and power (CHP) or energy saving potentials.
The general verdict on nuclear power is worth a mention. Matthias Corbach is of the opinion that “nuclear power, in the long term, is declining”. According to him, the reasons are changed priorities on deregulated energy markets and dwindling stocks of uranium. Nuclear energy is simply becoming too expensive. Nevertheless, nuclear power plants may be under construction within the next few years, particularly in authoritarian-ruled countries such as China, Iran and Pakistan.
The contribution by Ruth Brand is also absorbing. She discusses the scenarios various energy market actors (Shell, ExxonMobil, European Commission, International Energy Agent, Wuppertal Institute et cetera) have drawn up of future supply structures. She comments on the differences of methodology (forecasts, simulation models, normative scenarios et cetera). Her advice to use such projections with care is significant, especially with regard to the more distant future.
With the exception of an article about world energy markets, which doubts whether the OPEC states are capable of setting the oil price, the value of the book lies less in its new insights than in the background information it provides. It also points out the interrelationships within the sector and generally makes readers familiar with the subject.
Anke Schwarzer
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