Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
to liberalize electricity markets in the mid-1990s, Germany's electric-
ity sector was liberalized. Prior to market liberalization, it is estimated
that there were about 1000 electric utilities, about 80 irms engaged in
regional power distribution (and some generation) and more than 900
irms engaged in local distribution. In the ensuing shakeup, rather than
the subsectors fracturing into further pieces, four major utilities emerged
as dominant, claiming over 70% market share.
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he scale of these utili-
ties ensured that suicient spare grid capacity existed within each util-
ity's grid structure in order to accommodate contributions from wind
power in a stable manner. Economies of scale also allowed utilities to
absorb connection costs without having to pass on sizable rate hikes to
end-consumers.
5.5. INFLUENCES ON GOVERNMENT POLICY
5.5.1 Sociocultural
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Political
As outlined earlier, the emergence of Germany's environmental movement
was largely predicated upon opposition to nuclear power development.
Although anti-nuclear power activists represented a very small proportion
of Germany's population, media coverage and public exposure to impas-
sioned anti-nuclear power protests sowed the seeds of public skepticism
regarding the wisdom of embracing nuclear power. herefore, when the
Chernobyl catastrophe occurred in 1986, it ampliied active public opposi-
tion to nuclear power, putting Germany on the road to the phase-out of its
nuclear power program.
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Germany's environmental lobby played an indirect role in elevating the
prospects of wind power development by dampening the prospects of
nuclear power development, over the past two decades; however, this same
environmental lobby has had a direct contrapositive inluence on wind
power perception. Starting in the mid-1990s, the rapid rise of wind power
installations engendered ecological concerns over bird mortality and fueled
community concerns over noise pollution and the aesthetic impairment
of rural landscapes. Initially, in order to address these concerns, municipal
planning authorities tightened up siting standards and undertook more rig-
orous vetting of wind power project permit requests, creating a backlog in
processing such permits.
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here is still public support for wind power development, though NIMBY
(not-in-my-backyard) opposition has become progressively evident.
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In
fact, one researcher documented over 70 recent wind power protest cam-
paigns in Germany that have been organized to derail speciic projects.
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As
