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Cheating death

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Renewable energy

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BERLIN

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Even with new reforms, doubts remain about Germany’s energy transition

BRANDENBURG used to be called the sandbox of the Holy Roman Empire for its poor soil and marginal geography. Today a more appropriate moniker might be “the wind farm of the European Union” for all the spinning turbines that tower over the flat landscape. In Bavaria’s Holledau region endless rows of hop bines still undulate through the hills as they have for centuries; but today they share the south-facing slopes with solar panels. Germany’s Energiewende (“energy transition” or “revolution”) has transformed its countryside. 
The main tool in this transition is a policy of subsidising renewable power. Germany guarantees investors in green energy that their electricity is fed into the grid before …
Source: Utilities
Renewable energy: It’s not easy being green

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Walmart buys Jet.com

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Walmart’s acquisition of Jet.com heats up its battle with Amazon

SPENDING .3 billion on an unprofitable business might seem an undisciplined splurge. By buying Jet.com, a shopping website, Walmart, the world’s biggest retailer, has joined the ranks of investors betting on so-called “unicorns”, or private startups valued at over billion. The acquisition is the most expensive deal ever for an American e-commerce startup, and a sign of just how worried Walmart executives are by the rise of Amazon. It’s also an admission that despite heavy internal investment, the Bentonville giant’s own site, Walmart.com, is nowhere near enough.
Walmart still accounts for a tenth of American retail sales, but that has declined from 11.6% in 2009, according to Cowen Group, a financial-services firm. Amazon’s share is about half of Walmart’s, but it is growing fast. …
Source: Retailing
Walmart buys Jet.com: Boxed-in unicorn