An internal paper from the German Ministry of Economic Affairs shows that producing electricity from coal (in Germany this is mostly lignite,alsocalled brown coal) is not only unnecessary, but even reduces security of supply, since Germany now produces more electricity than it consumes, and constant intervention in the grid is required to cope with this overcapacity.
http://www1.wdr.de/mediathek/audio/wdr5/wdr5-leonardo-top-themen/audio-mehr-kohle-kraftwerke-als-noetig-100.html (German. Will be opened in a new tab.)

Already in 2004, the Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environment Agency) published a background paper on the report: “Lignite – a subsidy-free energy source?”, written by the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy. Central statement: “Overall, according to the calculations of the Wuppertal Institute, lignite benefits amount to at least 4.5 billion euros annually.”
See https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/medien/publikation/long/3572.pdf
The more environmentally friendly gas power plants (they produce only half as much carbon dioxide per kilowatt) are not supported and are therefore often out of service. The support of renewables has meanwhile been reversed.

Already in 2004, the Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environment Agency) published a background paper on the report: “Lignite – a subsidy-free energy source?”, written by the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy. Central statement: “Overall, according to the calculations of the Wuppertal Institute, the preferential treatment of the lignite amounts to at least 4.5 billion euros annually.”
See https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/medien/publikation/long/3572.pdf
The more environmentally friendly and flexible gas power plants (they produce only half as much carbon dioxide per kilowatt) are not supported and are therefore often out of service. The support of renewables has meanwhile been reversed.