The Energy Watch Group (EWG) is an international network of

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosoph ...

s and parliamentarians. The EWG conducts

research Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...

and publishes studies on global energy developments concerning both fossil fuels and

renewables Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

. The organization states that it seeks to provide energy policy with objective information. The EWG was founded in 2006 by the former German parliamentarian and

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

recipient Hans-Josef Fell and further parliamentarians from other countries to provide both experts and political decision makers as well as the public with information on energy issues.

Research areas

The EWG conducts research on energy issues, including

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

, crude oil,

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

and

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

. In particular, they focus on three interrelated topics: *the shortage of

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

and

atomic energy Atomic energy or energy of atoms is energy carried by atoms. The term originated in 1903 when Ernest Rutherford began to speak of the possibility of atomic energy. Isaac Asimov, ''Atom: Journey Across the Sub-Atomic Cosmos'', New York:1992 Plume, ...

resources, *development scenarios for regenerative energy sources as well as *strategies deriving from these for a long-term secure energy supply at affordable prices The EWG studies examines ecological, technological and economic connections in the energy sector to estimate developments in the availability and supply of different energy sources and production techniques. The results of the EWG studies are to be presented not only to experts but also to the politically interested public. All EWG studies are open access and are available on th
website
Next to topics covering the energy transition towards a system based on

100% renewable energy 100% renewable energy means getting all energy from renewable resources. The endeavor to use 100% renewable energy for electricity, heating, cooling and transport is motivated by climate change, pollution and other environmental issues ...

, the EWG is also monitoring and regularly informing about the latest developments in the global divestment movement on their website.

Research and statements

Studies of the EWG by and large come to the conclusion that the planet will run out of fossil fuels earlier than previously thought. The global supply of fossil fuels is therefore extremely strained. An early study of the EWG estimates that there is far less coal available than what is commonly expected. Moreover,

is distributed very unevenly across countries. 85% of global coal reserves are situated in six countries: USA, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The report suggests that a global peak of coal production will occur in 2025 the latest. The situation for crude oil is even more critical. Global oil production is said to collapse to 40% in 2030 compared to production in 2012. According to calculations by the EWG, peak-oil has already been reached in 2006 with a global oil production maximum of 81 million barrels per day and is now on a steep decline. The EWG further maintains that neither new production techniques such as

fracking Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "frac ...

, nor

nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced ...

nor a diversification of the fossil fuel portfolio can reverse the trend of a collapsing conventional energy system. A recent EWG report warns that fracking not only has catastrophic consequences for the environmental and detrimental health impacts, but is also economically unviable, particularly in Europe. The US is heading straight to a peak in

shale gas Shale gas is an unconventional natural gas that is found trapped within shale formations. Since the 1990s a combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has made large volumes of shale gas more economical to produce, and some ...

extraction after which production will plummet within this decade. Another study claims that a diversification of

imports to decrease the EU's dependence on Russia is not an option. Neither Russia nor any other producer of natural gas can be a reliable energy supplier for the European Union. As Russian gas supply is declining, there is increasing demand in other countries, including China and Japan, competing for gas resources. Moreover,

liquid natural gas Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the vol ...

(LNG) cannot contribute to security of supply. Although the EU has the capacity to import 200 billion m³/year, it only imported 45 billion m³/year. According to the EWG, this is a clear indication that the producing countries lack export capacities. Substitution of declining fossil fuel reserves with nuclear energy is also doomed to fail due to two factors. First, with the proven reserves, the stocks will be exhausted in 30 years if demand remains constant. Second, as only 3–4 reactors per year are currently being completed, the competition of 15-20 would be required to maintain present reactor capacity. Several other studies argue that a global shortage of fossil energy supply can only can be intercepted by a rigorous extension of the renewable energy system. The potential for this endeavour is greater than previously thought, according to the EWG. An EWG study posits that such arguments against

wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically ...

as fluctuations of wind, lack of grid connections and lack of reserve capacities do not hold due to improvements in planning, growing price incentives and technical improvements. In 2008, the EWG estimated that 17–29% of global energy demand can be covered by renewable energy depending on the willingness to invest. The report maintains that political will is the most crucial obstacle to a global energy transition. In 2016/17, the main focus of EWG's studies based on model based approaches concerning how a transformation towards a 100% RE system can be achieved sustainably, e.g. for India, Iran and Nigeria. Also storage technologies are an important factor of a successful energy transition, thus this topic is covered in a paper about the transition of the energy system in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. A collaborative study with the

Lappeenranta University of Technology LUT University ('' English:'' Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT) ('' Finnish'': Lappeenrannan-Lahden Teknillinen Yliopisto LUT) is a Finnish public research university which was established in 1969. The university's Lappeenranta cam ...

is currently in progress (April 2017). It will tackle the question how a global solution towards an energy system based on 100%

can be achieved in a feasible and low cost way and across four major sectors: electricity, heating, industrial demand and transport.

Controversy and debates

Several statements made by the EWG are in stark contrast with those of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and other organizations in the field. The EWG even claims that the IEA is institutionally biased towards conventional energy sources and follows a 'hidden agenda' to keep up the belief of an abundant supply of fossil energy sources while downplaying the potential for renewable energy and publishing misleading data. The Energy Watch Group criticism of the IEA credibility has attracted a lot of attention in the international media. The EWG achieved a partial victory when the IEA confirmed the EWG's warnings of a shrinking global supply of fossil fuels in 2010. Since then, the EWG has published a series of studies examining the biased and misleading scenarios of the IEA, including the study on the

World Energy Outlook The annual ''World Energy Outlook'' is the International Energy Agency's flagship publication, widely recognised as the most authoritative source for global energy projections and analysis. It represents the leading source for medium to long-term ...

Reports from 1994 to 2004. the analysis of the/ IEA's Medium Term Renewable Energy Market Report 2016, and the analysis of the World Energy Outlook 2015 and the World Energy Outlook 2016. The EWG findings were also revisited by specialist media. The Energy Watch Group has also criticized the

German government The Federal Cabinet or Federal Government (german: link=no, Bundeskabinett or ') is the chief executive body of the Federal Republic of Germany. It consists of the Federal Chancellor and cabinet ministers. The fundamentals of the cabinet's or ...

in recent years for their controversial policies in regard to

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

and

Energiewende The ''Energiewende'' (; ) is the ongoing transition by Germany to a low carbon, environmentally sound, reliable, and affordable energy supply. The new system intends to rely heavily on renewable energy (particularly wind, photovoltaics, and ...

. The targets set by the German Federal Government are insufficient to meet the climate targets of the international Paris Agreement and also slow down the installation of

renewable energy sources Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

, according to EWG.

EWG studies

Forthcoming * Energy Watch Group & Lappeenranta University of Technology (2016/ 2017) ''Global Energy System Based on 100% Renewables – A Feasible and Low Cost Solution for Electricity, Heat, Mobility and Industrial Demand'' ** Prof. Herres
''Potential global biofuel production and its implications on CO2 in air, water and soil'', Presentation
(part of the Study on 100% RE) 2017 * Child, M., Breyer, Ch., Bogdanov, D., Fell, H.J. (2017)
The role of storage technologies for the transition to a 100% renewable energy system in Ukraine
''11th International Renewable Energy Storage Conference, Düsseldorf * Fell, H.J. (01.2017
Energy Sector in Ukraine: Challenges and Chances
(Policy brief) * EWG Press Release, 17 March 2017
India, Iran and Nigeria Can Switch To 100% Renewable Electricity by 2050
2016 * EWG Analysis of the World Energy Outlook (30 November 2016)
The International Energy Agency undermines global climate protection and energy security in its latest World Energy Outlook
** EWG Pressemitteilung, 30 November 2016
Die Internationale Energieagentur schadet erneut dem Klimaschutz und der globalen Energiesicherheit mit dem jüngsten World Energy Outlook
* EWG Analysis of the IEA’s Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report 2016 (27 October 2016)
International Energy Agency’s Renewables Forecast: Old Wine in New Bottles
** EWG Pressemitteilung, 28 October 2016
IEAs Erneuerbare Energien Projektionen: Alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen
* Schwarz, J., Fell, H.J. (2016)
Deutsche Klimapolitik – vom Vorreiter zum Bremser.
''Energy Watch Group & ASPO Deutschland, Berlin. * Breyer, Ch., Fell, H.J., Gulagi, A. (2016)
Sustainable and Low-Cost Energy System for India without Nuclear and Coal Base Load
''Energy Watch Group, Berlin 2015 *Breyer, Ch., Fell, H.J. Zittel, W. (2015)
IEA creates misleading future scenarios for solar power generation
'. Energy Watch Group, Berlin *Breyer, Ch., Fell, H.J. Zittel, W. (2015)
Energy Watch Group calls on the IEA to release realistic scenarios
'. Energy Watch Group, Berlin *Breyer, Ch., Fell, H.J. Zittel, W. (2015)
IEA Keeps Assuming Linear Growth for Renewable Energy
'. Energy Watch Group, Berlin *Breyer, Ch., Fell, H.J., Metayer, M. (2015)
The projections for the future and quality in the past of the World Energy Outlook for solar PV and other renewable energy technologies
'. Energy Watch Group (Berlin) and Lappeenranta University of Technology (Finland). *Zittel, W. (2015)
Fracking – Eine Zwischenbilanz
'. Energy Watch Group, Berlin
english executive summary
2014 *Zittel, W. (2014)
The EU’s dependency on Russia for natural gas can only be reversed with a rapid expansion of renewable energy sources
'. Energy Watch Group, Berlin 2013 *Zittel, W., Zerhusen, J., Zerta, M. (2013)
Fossil and Nuclear Fuels – the Supply Outlook
'. Energy Watch Group, Berlin 2010 *Zittel, W. (2010)
Worldwide Estimated Yearly Energy Costs
'. Energy Watch Group, Berlin 2009 *Rechsteiner, R. (2009)
Wind Power in Context – A Clean Revolution in the Energy Sector
'. Energy Watch Group, Berlin 2008 *Schindler, J., Zittel, W. (2008)
Crude Oil – The Supply Outlook
'' Energy Watch Group, Berlin *Peter, S., Lehmann, H. (2008)
Renewable Energy Outlook 2030: Energy Watch Group Global Renewable Energy Scenarios
'. Energy Watch Group, Berlin 2007 *Schindler, J., Zittel, W. (2007
Coal: Resources and Future Production
Energy Watch Group, Berlin 2006 *Zittel, W., Schindler, J.(2006)
Uranium Resources and Nuclear Energy
'. Energy Watch Group, Berlin

Research areas

Research and statements

Controversy and debates

EWG studies

References

External links