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GPPi co-organizes roundtable on renewable energy policy in Germany, Japan and US

On 17 June 2013, the Global Public Policy Institute, together with the Brookings Institution’s Energy Security Initiativeundefined and Stiftung Mercatorundefined, held a roundtable in Berlin titled ​“Transforming the Electricity Portfolio: Challenges and Approaches to Deploying Renewable Energy in Germany, Japan and the United Statesundefined.” The roundtable was part of GPPi’s ongoing research and dialogue project Transatlantic Responses to Critical Issues in European Security, which is supported by the European Commission.

The roundtable examined the approaches and progress of Germany, Japan and the Unites States in addressing the technical, economic and political challenges of a large-scale deployment of renewable power. Attendees also explored the opportunities for sharing lessons and leading practices among the three countries. In particular, the roundtable addressed a number of questions around three key themes:

  • Regulatory approaches and challenges for promoting renewables energies;
  • Approaches and challenges for development and transmission and distribution systems;
  • The future role of fossil fuels in the energy mix and its implications.

To provide context, the roundtable was kicked off by three presentations, each giving an overview of the policy environment for renewables in Germany, Japan and the US. Rainer Baake of Agora Energiewende spoke about the policies and implications of Germany’s ongoing energy transition and nuclear phase-out, particular power grid challenges and the difficulty of syncing fluctuations in supply from renewables with demand. Michio Hashimoto of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization discussed the role of renewables in Japan’s post-Fukushima energy policy, in particular, the challenges surrounding its feed-in tariff and transmission challenges. Anne Hoskins of the Public Service Enterprise Group spoke about the United States, highlighting US policies for promoting renewables deployment, including tax credits and loan guarantees, as well as the challenges resulting from a lack of a federal energy or climate policy, particularly the difficulties posed by differing state, regional and federal strategies and regulatory requirements.

To view the conference booklet, please click hereundefined.