{"id":118022,"date":"2024-12-30T17:05:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-30T15:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=118022"},"modified":"2024-12-28T14:53:37","modified_gmt":"2024-12-28T12:53:37","slug":"30-05-96","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=118022","title":{"rendered":"Europe: The Fall of the Holy Renewable Empire"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"center alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/images\/gatestone-logo-1000.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"50%\" \/><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #000080;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #000080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/21244\/europe-germany-renewable-energy&quot;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Europe: The Fall of the Holy Renewable Empire<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Drieu Godefridi<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<ul class=\"content_preface_bullets\">\n<li><strong>Literally &#8220;flat, dark calm,&#8221; Dunkelflaute is characterized by a simultaneous lack of wind and sun in winter, when demand for electricity in Germany is at its highest&#8230; On December 12 of this year, for example, German electricity production from wind and solar power was thirty times lower than the demand for it.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>But this is &#8220;for the planet&#8221;, 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.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Germany&#8217;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?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Whole swathes of Germany&#8217;s proud industry are collapsing. We only remember the big names &#8212; VW, BASF, Mercedes-Benz &#8212; but every big company that disappears or downsizes takes with it a myriad of small and medium-sized enterprises that end up collapsing along with it.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Dependence on unreliable energy sources (wind, solar), combined with the hasty phase-out of nuclear power, has made Germany&#8217;s electricity the most expensive in Europe and compromises the country&#8217;s &#8212; and ultimately the continent&#8217;s &#8212; energy autonomy.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/pics\/5248.jpg\" width=\"100%\" \/><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>Dependence on unreliable energy sources (wind, solar), combined with the hasty phase-out of nuclear power, has made Germany&#8217;s electricity the most expensive in Europe and compromises the country&#8217;s &#8212; and ultimately the continent&#8217;s &#8212; energy autonomy. Pictured: An array of solar panels operated by the multinational energy company RWE, at the Hambacher Forst opencast lignite mine near Elsdorf, Germany, photographed on November 12, 2024. (Photo by Ina Fassbender\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">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\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/europe-energy-bills-germany-brussels-pipeline-prices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">highest carbon footprints<\/a>, now consume the most expensive electricity in Europe? How did the country lose its energy autonomy?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">For the last fifteen years, Germany\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/ember-energy.org\/latest-insights\/germany-sets-new-record-for-renewable-power\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">invested<\/a>\u00a0massively in solar and wind energy, while sabotaging its own nuclear power stations. By 2023, renewable energies accounted for 55% of\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/renewable-energys-share-german-power-grids-reaches-55-2023-2024-01-03\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">electricity production<\/a>\u00a0in the country. In 2022, it was only 48%.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The main contribution to renewable energy has comes from\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lefigaro.fr\/flash-eco\/allemagne-plus-de-la-moitie-de-la-production-d-electricite-etait-d-origine-renouvelable-en-2023-20240103\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wind power<\/a>, 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 &#8220;Dunkelflaute.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Dunkelflaute<\/b><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Literally &#8220;flat, dark calm,&#8221; 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\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DGodefridi\/status\/1867631369238851794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">thirty times lower<\/a>\u00a0than the demand for it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Renewable policies would be bearable if they were based on a sustainable energy source &#8212; indifferent to the weather &#8212; such as nuclear power. In 2011, however, in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, Germany abruptly decided to\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.base.bund.de\/en\/nuclear-safety\/nuclear-phase-out\/nuclear-phase-out_content.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">phase out nuclear power,<\/a>\u00a0and gradually shut down fully operational plants. This decision reduced the country&#8217;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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The phase-out of nuclear power has left Germany incapable of being self-sufficient in energy, especially during Dunkelflaute. The country\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eupd-research.com\/en\/conventional-electricity-imports-are-the-achilles-heel-of-the-german-energy-transition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">imports electricity<\/a>\u00a0on a massive scale from France, Denmark and Poland, and has to use\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/countries\/germany\/coal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">coal and lignite<\/a>\u00a0to produce electricity. Germany&#8217;s massive imports of electricity also lead to colossal increases in electricity prices for its neighbors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The prices are indeed staggering. In 2024, the household price of electricity in Germany was the\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/countryeconomy.com\/energy-and-environment\/electricity-price-household\/germany\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">highest in Europe<\/a>, at \u20ac400\/MWh, reaching peaks of \u20ac900\/MWh during Dunkelflaute episodes, compared to a much lower European average. By comparison, the average price in nuclear-powered\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/countryeconomy.com\/energy-and-environment\/electricity-price-household\/france\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">France<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/countryeconomy.com\/energy-and-environment\/electricity-price-household\/finland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Finland<\/a>\u00a0was \u20ac250\/MWh over the same period (2024). And, in the United States, rates are\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chooseenergy.com\/electricity-rates-by-state\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">30% lower<\/a>\u00a0than in France. How is all that &#8220;sustainable&#8221; for Europe?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">But this is &#8220;for the planet&#8221;, 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 CO<sub>2<\/sub>\u00a0per unit of energy produced in Europe, with a significant proportion of electricity coming from fossil sources.\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"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.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ten times more<\/a>\u00a0CO<sub>2<\/sub>\u00a0per unit of energy produced than France.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Economic and geopolitical repercussions<\/b><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Germany&#8217;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:\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/673333\/monthly-prices-for-natural-gas-in-the-united-states-and-europe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">five times<\/a>\u00a0more expensive in Europe than in the USA.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Whole swathes of Germany&#8217;s proud industry are collapsing. We only remember the big names &#8212;\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.motor1.com\/news\/739673\/vw-boss-structural-problems-decades\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">VW<\/a>,\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/consent.yahoo.com\/v2\/collectConsent?sessionId=3_cc-session_48577177-6b43-4828-b774-571790521e27\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BASF<\/a>,\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/business\/2024\/07\/26\/mercedes-misses-revenue-targets-why-the-car-industry-is-faltering\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mercedes-Benz<\/a>\u00a0&#8212; but every big company that disappears or downsizes takes with it a myriad of small and medium-sized enterprises that end up\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ifm-bonn.org\/fileadmin\/data\/redaktion\/statistik\/KMU-Barometer\/dokumente\/SME_Development_Barometer-Spring-2024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">collapsing<\/a>\u00a0along with it. Energy-intensive sectors such as metallurgy and chemicals are particularly hard hit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Finally, Germany&#8217;s increased dependence on its neighbors for energy supplies has been creating tensions in Europe. High electricity prices in Germany are being\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/brusselssignal.eu\/2024\/12\/european-electricity-prices-skyrocket-as-german-renewables-fail-to-deliver-power\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">passed on<\/a>\u00a0to neighboring countries, making electricity unaffordable there and generating growing frustration. Discussions are emerging in Europe about\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/f0b621a1-54f2-49fc-acc1-a660e9131740\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">withdrawing<\/a>\u00a0from certain energy agreements, particularly those relating to electricity imports.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">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&#8217;s electricity the most expensive in Europe and compromises the country&#8217;s &#8212; and ultimately the continent&#8217;s &#8212; energy autonomy. The consequences are manifold: environmental, with high CO<sub>2<\/sub>\u00a0emissions; economic, with industry in steep decline, and geopolitical, with Germany&#8217;s neighbors fed up with its failing energy diktat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Given Germany&#8217;s demographic and economic weight, this latest German misstep is proving to be yet another European catastrophe.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><i><strong>Drieu Godefridi<\/strong> 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<\/i>\u00a0<a style=\"color: #808080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Green-Reich-Global-Warming-Tyranny-ebook\/dp\/B081H2MB37\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Green Reich<\/a><i>\u00a0(2020).<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"content-alignment\">\n<div id=\"watch-description\" class=\"yt-uix-button-panel\">\n<div id=\"watch-description-text\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion&#8217;68,<\/em><em><br \/>\nani te\u017c webmastera Blogu Reunion&#8217;68, chyba ze jest to wyra\u017anie zaznaczone.<br \/>\nTwoje uwagi, linki, w\u0142asne artyku\u0142y lub wiadomo\u015bci prze\u015blij na adres:<br \/>\n<\/em><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong><em><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"mailto:webmaster@reunion68.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">webmaster@reunion68.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr style=\"width: 100%;\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Europe: The Fall of the Holy Renewable Empire Drieu Godefridi Literally &#8220;flat, dark calm,&#8221; Dunkelflaute is characterized by a simultaneous lack of wind and sun in winter, when demand for electricity in Germany is at its highest&#8230; On December 12 of this year, for example, German electricity production from wind and solar power was thirty [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118022"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=118022"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118048,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118022\/revisions\/118048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=118022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=118022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=118022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}