Germany Faces New Green Reality
Navigation Hazard
Energiewende, German for ”energy transition.” Energiewende is the energy policy launched by the German government in 2000 to change to a “green” low-carbon, nuclear-free economy.
When first launched, 6.6 percent of Germany’s electricity came from renewable sources such as solar and wind. In 2019, the share reached 41.1 percent. Germans paid a hefty price for the program. The average cost of electricity for German households has doubled since inception. By 2019, households had to pay 34 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to 22 cents per in France and 13 cents in the United States.
Now Russian energy is no longer available (jury is still out on who sabotaged the Nord Stream II pipeline) and winter is here. Without options to replace that energy, Germany is returning to reliable fossil fuel sources. At least 20 coal-fired power plants nationwide are being resurrected or extended past their closing dates to ensure Germany has enough energy to get through the winter. Green eurofags are losing their minds.
Coal mine demolishes neighboring wind farm to boost country’s energy supply, drawing ire of climate activists
The German energy giant RWE admits the situation appears to be ‘paradoxical’
Lawrence Richard
A German energy company is dismantling a wind farm to allow for an adjacent coal mine to expand its operations, officials said.
The German coal mine Garzweiler, operated by energy company RWE, admits the situation appears to be “paradoxical” — sacrificing one energy source for another — but defended the decision as necessary to strengthen supplies amid the ongoing energy crisis, Oilprice.com reported.
“We realize this comes across as paradoxical,” RWE spokesperson Guido Steffen said in a statement. “But that is as matters stand.”
One of the wind farm’s eight wind turbines was dismantled last week, and two others are expected to be taken down next year. The remaining five turbines will be dismantled by the end of 2023, said a spokesperson for the company that builds and runs the wind farm.
RWE’s decision to expand into the Keyenberg wind farm, which is located in North Rhine-Westphalia, has drawn the ire of climate activists.
North-Rhine Westphalia’s ministry for economic and energy affairs repeatedly advocated against the destruction of the wind turbines.
France is restarting nuke power plants that were foolishly shut down. The New Green Deal house of cards is collapsing in real-time all-over Europe, an abject lesson that is being ignored by Proggies here in the States. They need reminded. Vote.
As for the green eurofags, it’s in the tags.
Fair winds and following seas, Loretta.
Category: "Teh Stoopid", Global Warming, Government Incompetence, International Affairs, It's science!, Points-and-Laughs, Schadenfreude
Yeah but it’s only 50 Hz….
Yeah, kids– because burning furniture to keep warm sucks.
France’s nuclear reactors were shut down for routine and not so routine maintenance such as corrosion issues. France has never planned to get rid of nuclear nor will they.
The shutdown begun well before the war started. Calling it foolish is like calling changing the oil in your car or replacing your leaky head gasket foolish. France has practically eliminated carbon emissions from their energy sector due to the switch from coal to nuclear over the last 50 years and has no plans to change it.
Germany’s time line of switching was supposed to conclude in early 2038 not 2022. Obviously the war is playing hell with that time line. This has required some on the fly changes as NG has remained a solid 15% of the sector for the last five years or so and now there isn’t much of it. For electricity costs to only double in 22 years? We should be so lucky.
Enjoy down voting my energy facts as usual.
It won’t change the truth. 🙂
From my perspective purposely downing half of one’s assets for emergency maintenance is the about the height of foolishness. As in self-inflicted wounds foolish like those my Navy is busy licking right now, for much the same reasons.
I don’t punch down on-topic replies, 5JC. If I couldn’t stand the heat I’d of been gone long ago, as some I’m sure heartily wish.
*grin*
If it’s an emergency, it’s an emergency. Pretty much by definition, you don’t have a choice-foolish or otherwise.
There is emergency, and there is foreseeable need.
It is foolish to not plan for maintenance until it puts most of your production of any product on hold.
Ergo, it was foolish of France to shoot themselves in the foot.
French are going to French. Their entire history is flashes of brilliance often stopped by self inflicted simple mistakes.
Like the USA, then?
As long as the heat he will be getting will not contribute to the existential threat of climate change. We don’t need those mostly peaceful residents of certain countries located between the Mediterranean Sea and India to become more upset.
FWIW, 5JC, my electricity costs have not doubled over the last 22 years. No where near.
Of course, I live in the Great State of Texas and am in a co-op, so I have a lot of advantages over lesser mortals. 😆 In fact, our co-op occasionally gives us money back that they didn’t need.
Those utilizing Entergy for their electricity may have a different experience.
That is because Texas went their own way and is not connected to the grids of other states. This let them slip by Federal Regulations as not being subject to ICC. This was really important last year after mud head took over.
Of course, they went heavy into wind 12 yeaes ago as well. Texas is now by itself the world’s largest wind power producer and that is quite cheap. No matter how high oil an NG goes they don’t pay a penny more.
It is still unreliable energy – but it does help. It is a tool in the toolbox.
It also makes the panhandle look really, really ugly.
And then there is the problem of the used wind-turbine blades. Those things don’t recycle or much of anything else.
And don’t get me off on the traffic problems as they truck those things from the coastal ports across Texas to the panhandle.
I’m in Portland, Tx
in the last 5 years they have gone from 10.5 cents per to 18-24 cents per KWH. that doesn’t include
the 40-55 dollar a month service charge
this rate is common all over the so called deregulated areas of Texas and to me it’s insane
Skippy – is that Entergy or some for-profit company?
Entergy is the for-profit provider in our general AO – and their prices have been going up, and their service resembles a Hoover or Kamala.
The small ‘independent’ budget energy companies are not much better.
I’m blessed to be with a co-op. Our prices do go up some, but not to the degree the for-profits do.
In this part of Texas along the gulf coast
It’s open market prices. Believe me
Out of the 9 different companies serving the area all are way over the top with prices
We have some friends up in Sweetwater and in the gatesville area that like you, that don’t suffer From this issue and never had a issue in the big freeze back in 2020
It’s not a paradox as one form works and the other doesn’t, or barely does.
Any other Anthony Watts fans on TAH?
I’ve read quite a bit of his stuff. Not much impressed.
I was more of a Fred Singer fan. He was quite brilliant and had all the bona fides too.
Appreciate the name, 5JC. Will check out.
Ya know, there’s a reason why the term “Now you’re cooking with gas” became so popular. And why gas is the go to choice for Professional Chefs and Heating Guys. So called “Green Energy” can have a place in the tool box, but it can’t be the only tool in the box. Plenty of coal out there, it can be turned into gas, and it can be cleaned up/emission scubbed to be more friendly. GA Power spent billions on a coal plant just north of me and it is nearly 0 emission. Three hundred train car loads of low sulfur Montana coal comes in there everyday. Too bad for us, most of that power is shipped to the Sunshine State for cooling off the carpetbaggers and snow birds. It was built, 30+ years ago with that purpose in mind.
Two (2) hiccups with nuke plants made the idjits come out against them. Nobody has figured out, yet, how to recycle all of this “green” material…or to heal Mother Earth from the mining to make batteries.
I am very curious about a near zero emmission coal plant in Georgia. Which one are we talking about?
Plant Scherer, near Juliette, Monroe Co., GA. Construction upgrades should all be done by now that was going to bring them into the low levels. They still have some EPA issues/lawsuits on the coal ash ponds and are working on draining all of those. We played hell moving all of the communications cables and cutting them over to fiber.
The way I read it they are reducing emissions by switching to NG and are eliminating the other three generating plants at the site. Then possibly transition to solar later down the road. Which would make sense as they have the lines already run.
https://www.gem.wiki/Scherer_Steam_Generating_Station
JEA would replace the capacity of unit 4 with a PPA for power from FPL’s natural gas generators for 10 years, with the option to switch to solar generation for another 10 years.
Unit 4 reportedly stopped operating on December 31, 2021. The unit’s power was replaced by fossil gas.
https://news.wjct.org/first-coast/2020-06-26/jea-approves-plan-to-close-unit-at-plant-scherer-1-of-nations-biggest-carbon-emitters
There is no such thing as clean coal.
😂
Like any good portfolio you need to diversify. A combination of wind, solar, nuclear, and fossil fuels will provide all the power needed. The move to “Green” is a political ploy to place all energy in the hands of “your political betters/the Elite”.
That’s an odd way of looking at it. Solar for example is a source of energy that anyone can produce if they want to make an investment. Having your own coal or NG powered thermoelectric plant not so much.
Works real good on cloudy days./s
A friend of mine helped a cousin install solar panels. Blamed things never paid back the investment.
Then there are the disposal issues with those things.
From my perspective, coal’s clean-up is easier and cheaper in the long run.
And FWIW, I cook with gas. In a power outage, I can heat with gas as well.
I do pretty much everything with gas/nuclear at my primary residence. I don’t use solar here because once it started getting popular our state slapped a $25/ month fee for using grid tied systems. The $300/yr in fees increased the payback period to 23 years, which was by design.
At my “off gird” cabin hot water, supplemental heat and supplemental cooking are all propane. Solar and wood do the rest. Since the hookup fee would have been $6K I have already exceeded payback on it.
Semi-relevant to the thread:
Surprising no-one who understands these things:
“For now and the foreseeable future, the energy required to manufacture and power electric cars will leave a sizable carbon footprint.”
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2022/10/27/zero_emissions_from_electric_vehicles_heres_why_that_claim_has_zero_basis_860938.html
Mmmmmmyeah, according to the liberal moonbats, the damned windmills and other Green Snake Oil deals were supposed to be making ALL of the electricity we need and then some by now.