Energiewenden aus historischer Perspektive

As most other industrialized countries, Germany experienced three major changes in its energy mix in the last two centuries, namely the respective transitions to coal, oil, and nuclear power. This paper discusses the reasons and consequences of these changes with respect to energy consumption, energy prices, and growth. One major finding is that each energy transition led to a devaluation of traditional locational advantages such as the existence of local sources of water power or coal beds. Another important observation is that most of the energy transitions were accompanied by significant government subsidies aiming at either promoting new energy sources or reducing the social hardship associated with the decline of traditional power industries.