Len on Nostr: Switzerland is the only European shining light because it hasn't adopted policies ...
Switzerland is the only European shining light because it hasn't adopted policies that are crippling neighbouring countries. Maybe the pendulum will swing back for the rest of Europe and it can saved...at least temporarily.
quoting nevent1q…dwcuEurope: The Fall Of The Holy Renewable Empire
Europe: The Fall Of The Holy Renewable Empire
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21244/europe-germany-renewable-energy
,
Solar and wind power production falls drastically during unfavorable weather conditions. It happens, in fact, every year. This condition, however, now has far-reaching economic and environmental repercussions, revealing the flaws in an energy policy based on intermittent renewable energies. Why does Germany, while having one of the https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-energy-bills-germany-brussels-pipeline-prices/
, now consume the most expensive electricity in Europe? How did the country lose its energy autonomy?
For the last fifteen years, Germany https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/germany-sets-new-record-for-renewable-power/
in the country. In 2022, it was only 48%.
The main contribution to renewable energy has comes from https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-eco/allemagne-plus-de-la-moitie-de-la-production-d-electricite-etait-d-origine-renouvelable-en-2023-20240103
, at 31% of total production, followed by solar power at 12%, biomass at 8%, and other renewable sources such as hydroelectricity for the remaining 3.4%. In 2024, renewable energy accounted for almost 60% of German electricity production in the first half of the year. This production level, however, is smoothed out over a given period and does not reflect moments of crisis such as the "Dunkelflaute."
Dunkelflaute
Literally "flat, dark calm," Dunkelflaute is characterized by a simultaneous lack of wind and sun in winter, when demand for electricity in Germany is at its highest. These episodes last from a few days to several weeks, with wind and solar production sometimes falling to less than 20% of their capacity, and sometimes nothing. On December 12 of this year, for example, German electricity production from wind and solar power was https://x.com/DGodefridi/status/1867631369238851794
than the demand for it.
Renewable policies would be bearable if they were based on a sustainable energy source -- indifferent to the weather -- such as nuclear power. In 2011, however, in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, Germany abruptly decided to https://www.base.bund.de/en/nuclear-safety/nuclear-phase-out/nuclear-phase-out_content.html
and gradually shut down fully operational plants. This decision reduced the country's capacity to produce stable, predictable electricity and instead made heating, cooling and so on cruelly vulnerable to fluctuations in renewable energy sources. In short, when there is neither wind nor sun in Germany, the lights go out.
The phase-out of nuclear power has left Germany incapable of being self-sufficient in energy, especially during Dunkelflaute. The country https://www.eupd-research.com/en/conventional-electricity-imports-are-the-achilles-heel-of-the-german-energy-transition/
to produce electricity. Germany's massive imports of electricity also lead to colossal increases in electricity prices for its neighbors.
The prices are indeed staggering. In 2024, the household price of electricity in Germany was the https://countryeconomy.com/energy-and-environment/electricity-price-household/germany
than in France. How is all that "sustainable" for Europe?
But this is "for the planet", right? Not even close. Despite its commitment to so-called green energies, Germany still has a high carbon footprint due to its increased reliance on coal and lignite to make up for energy shortfalls. In 2024, the country remains the second-largest emitter of CO2 per unit of energy produced in Europe, with a significant proportion of electricity coming from fossil sources. https://environmentalprogress.org/big-news/2017/2/11/german-electricity-was-nearly-10-times-dirtier-than-frances-in-2016#:~:text=By%20contrast%2C%20France%20generated%20530,over%20300%20million%20metric%20tonnes.
CO2 per unit of energy produced than France.
Economic and geopolitical repercussions
Germany's high electricity prices are leading to the relocation of its industry, as companies look for sites where energy costs are more affordable. How can you stay viable when you pay three times more for electricity than your competitors? (Natural gas prices are even worse: https://www.statista.com/statistics/673333/monthly-prices-for-natural-gas-in-the-united-states-and-europe/
more expensive in Europe than in the USA.)
Whole swathes of Germany's proud industry are collapsing. We only remember the big names -- https://www.motor1.com/news/739673/vw-boss-structural-problems-decades/
along with it. Energy-intensive sectors such as metallurgy and chemicals are particularly hard hit.
Finally, Germany's increased dependence on its neighbors for energy supplies has been creating tensions in Europe. High electricity prices in Germany are being https://brusselssignal.eu/2024/12/european-electricity-prices-skyrocket-as-german-renewables-fail-to-deliver-power/
from certain energy agreements, particularly those relating to electricity imports.
In short, the Dunkelflaute is the symptom of a profound energy crisis, caused by an ideological, authoritarian, irrational and failed energy transition. Dependence on unreliable energy sources (wind, solar), combined with the hasty phase-out of nuclear power, has made Germany's electricity the most expensive in Europe and compromises the country's -- and ultimately the continent's -- energy autonomy. The consequences are manifold: environmental, with high CO2 emissions; economic, with industry in steep decline, and geopolitical, with Germany's neighbors fed up with its failing energy diktat.
Given Germany's demographic and economic weight, this latest German misstep is proving to be yet another European catastrophe.
Drieu Godefridi is a jurist (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain), philosopher (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain) and PhD in legal theory (Paris IV-Sorbonne). He is an entrepreneur, CEO of a European private education group and director of PAN Medias Group. He is the author of https://www.amazon.com/Green-Reich-Global-Warming-Tyranny-ebook/dp/B081H2MB37/
(2020).
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Sat, 12/28/2024 - 09:20
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/europe-fall-holy-renewable-empire