GERMANY’S GOODBYE TO COAL POWER TECHNOLOGY

摘要

Studies on diffusion processes mostly focus on the market penetration of new technologies and less on phasing-out processes of the “outdated” technology. The cutback of electricity generation from coal in Germany is a prominent example of the latter which may serve as a blueprint also for the decarbonisation of other countries. However, public decision makers are facing grave trade-offs between policy objectives. On the one hand the phase out or at least a cutback of coal power plants is – not only by the German government – considered to be a key strategy for the transformation towards an environmentally sustainable society, on the other hand it also tends to have social and economic effects that are intensively perceived to be adverse, e.g. effects on employment in regions with a strong coal sector. Therefore, in our case-study, we will not only take economic but also social, political and technical aspects into account. The study contributes to a better understanding of complex innovation processes focusing on the saturation and decline stage of technologies which have been a core element in the energy system for a very long period.