Glossary e

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  • Energy efficiency

    Energy efficiency refers to 1. how much of a resource is used when power is being generated, and 2. how efficiently that power is used by consumers.
  • Efficient Building Strategies

    Germany began building highly efficient passive houses in 1990. But although many buildings can now be renovated to fulfill very ambitious standards, a lot of progress still needs to be made towards increasing the energy efficiency of renovated buildings. To improve things, Germany has developed an Efficient Building Strategy.
  • Electric transportation

    Electric transportation refers to trains, trams, cars, buses and bikes which run on electricity. Worldwide the use of electric vehicles has spiked in the first half of 2018, with sales surpassing a million vehicles so far this year.
  • Emissions trading (EU-ETS)

    An Europe-wide emissions trading system (EU-ETS) puts a limit on emissions for the long term. It aims to lower greenhouse gas emissions in industry, the power sector, and most recently the aviation sector.
  • Energy democracy

    Energy democracy refers to the freedom to choose who provides your power, and to produce your own. Many Germans take advantage of this freedom to take part in the Energiewende: one in every sixty Germans is now an energy producer.
  • Reducing energy imports

    Germany imports about two thirds of its energy. Renewables and energy efficiency help reduce imports significantly, thereby increasing Germany’s energy security.
  • Energy poverty

    Energy poverty is the lack of adequate warmth, cooling, lighting and the energy to power appliances. More than 50 million households in the EU are impacted by energy poverty.
  • Energy security

    Renewables reduce Germany’s dependency on energy imports, making Germany less vulnerable to unpredictably fluctuating prices for fossil fuels and to political influence from abroad.
  • Environmental taxation

    Germany has had an “energy tax” or environmental tax on gasoline since 2006. The money raised from gas taxes is mostly used to offset pensions and payroll taxes.
  • The European Energy Union

    Energy has become a core issue for the European Union. However, the EU does not have an exclusive competence in this field. Making it a shared competence in the Lisbon Treaty of 2009 was a bold move forward, but it remains a natural field of conflict between Member States and many EU institutions.