Transformation pathways of phasing out coal-fired power plants in Germany

Abstract

Background: While there are plenty of studies investigating the market penetration of new technologies, phaseout processes of a predominant technology are rarely analyzed. The present study explores the case of a declining technology, employing the example of coal-fired power plants in Germany. These plants were promoted by governmental decision-makers as well as by the industry for a long time, but meanwhile, the phase-out or at least a cutback of coal-fired power plants is--not only in Germany--considered to be a key strategy for the transformation towards a sustainable society. Methods:We investigate potential pathways of the future development of the coal-fired power plant sector in an extended multi-level perspective (MLP) framework that integrates economic, social, political, and technical aspects.Results: Taking into account the fact that coal is losing its support from several important stakeholders (e.g., governmental decision-makers, utilities) due to, e.g., changes in the prioritization of political goals, changes in the economic framework, in actor constellations, and in public attitudes, coal-fired power plants tend to be pushed into niches or to disappear completely. Conclusions: A reasonable management of the niche technology "coal-fired power plants" could include a protection of space for ensuring a smooth removal of the links between the regime and the technology with respect to, e.g., social and environmental aspects. The phase-out pathways for the coal-fired power plants elaborated on in this paper help to better inform policy-makers to design transformation processes not only for coal-fired power but also for other declining technologies.

Economic Resilience of German Lignite Regions in Transition

“…While both are closely related, they differ in their primary objectives: the former strives to steer change with a focus on creative capacity, while the latter aims to build resilience, focusing on adaptive capacity [20,21]. From a transition management perspective, Berlo et al [22], Vögele et al [23], and Leipprand and Flachsland [24] have analyzed the energy transition in Germany using the multi-level perspective (MLP) by Geels [25]. Foxon,Reed,and Stringer [20] propose to use both approaches, transition management and adaptive management, in a complementary way, combining the objectives of both.…”

Greening the Brownfields of Thermal Power Plants in Rural Areas, an Example from Romania, Set in the Context of Developments in the Industrialized Country of Germany

“…But Germany is also engaged to close all coal thermal power plants by 2038, following the Paris 2015 climate summit. An overview on how long takes to close a coal thermal power plant is given in Reference [47], with Vögele et al [48] examining the phasing out of coal-fired plants in Germany.…”

Review article: Towards a context-driven research: a state-of-the-art review of resilience research on climate change

“…This branch of discontinuation research assumes that sociotechnical systems influence socio-ecological systems, so that some technologies threaten resilience while others enhance it (Smith & Stirling 2010). Such research informs that political objectives like drastic reduction of CO2 emissions will hardly be achieved by using single cleaner technologies alone, but structural SES transformations are needed to qualitatively alter established systems (Vögele, Kunz, Rübbelke & Stahlke 2018;Rogge & Johnston, 2017;Stegmaier 2019). One of the challenges for the coming decade is to reverse the negative image of climate change: transformational adaptation comes with stakeholders taking a pro-active view on climate change, with new opportunities emerging from responses to climate change.…”