Christopher Booker provides a sobering analysis of how NOT to manage national energy policy. Must read! Hat-tip mwhite.
Drugged up on green fantasies, duped by activist scientists, and arrogantly dismissing warnings, Angela Merkel and her CDU party lead the country to the brink of an energy disaster. (Photo credit:Ralf Roletschek)
Booker writes:
In fact, a mighty battle is now developing in Germany between green fantasists and practical realists. Because renewable energy must by law have priority in supplying the grid, the owners of conventional power stations, finding they have to run plants unprofitably, are so angry that they are threatening to close many of them down. The government response, astonishingly, has been to propose a new law forcing them to continue running their plants at a loss.”
All the more reason to ignore this kooky Enquete Commission activist report impostering as truth.
Thanks Christopher!
The German government is now its own terrorist organization, at war with Germany. Most impressive (to the insane, who only wish they could cause such chaos to justify their existence).
That’s a terrible news Pierre, forcing companies to run at a loss. I got involved in a debate over the construction of a coal power plant in a small city here in central Philippines. The greenies are so virulent when you question their renewable energy God, http://funwithgovernment.blogspot.com/2012/09/energy-econ-6-intolerance-in-anti-coal.html
The energy market and energy-intensive industries market is constantly shaken up by political decisions, making it pretty hazardous to invest into any of the companies. Basically rules it out.
Nonoy, I read a little bit of your blog post. One of the anti coal guys say Solar Panels are expensive because they’re in high demand. This was true up to 2007 as the German market bought them at any price and silicon in a quality suitable for wafer production was scarce, limiting production; but in 2007 the situation changed, lots of new silicon production came onstream and since that time more PV panel construction capacity exists than the market can absorb (hence the PV producer bankruptcies).
Prices have dropped to a level where only the energy required for producing a PV panel determines the end price – NOT the demand.
Research currently concentrates on bringing down the energy needs of PV panel production (using expensive Silane gas more efficiently, e.g.).
Here in Ontario, Canada we are not far behind Germany in this radical destruction of our Industry base not to mention the energy poor consumer who won’t be able to afford heat for their homes this winter!
Your green model was the basis for OUR Government’s “insane headlong renewable drive into oblivion”!
I know that German socialists and greens were out visiting and preaching the virtues of their German system, feeling all intellectually superior talking down to the free-market systems they view as inferior, but from which they gladly leech. In 20 years time expect a landscape here littered with the rusty monuments and remnants of yet another failed political experiment.
A very rich country can do very stupid things for a long time.
It’s a quote but I don’t find the author…
Note to self, when emigrating to Canada, go for Alberta.
Hello,
this article is available in German translation here:
http://www.eike-klima-energie.eu/news-cache/deutschlands-chaos-bei-der-windenergie-sollte-fuer-uk-eine-warnung-sein/
Chris Frey
There is no alternative for the world but to move away from carbon emission as an outcome for energy production. Someone has to face the challanges of moving away from fossil fuels.
Energy intermittency is a real challenge for wind and solar power. Part of the answers is upgraded grid systems, and energy storage.
If Germany is successful, they will have very cheap electricity as an ongoing cost, though the investment to do it would be high. At that point they will have 4 competitive edges.
1 Energy security, not being at the whim of the Middle East or Russia.
2 An improvement in terms of trade not needing to import energy.
3 a competitive edge over technologies for renewable energy
4 Low running cost for having energy
Hello John. If no subsidies were required, this would indicate that Wind and solar contraptions were actually producing a meaningful amount of net energy and I would agree with you. The need for ongoing subsidation indicates, though, that no meaningful net energy savings occur; and that the enterprise is therefore senseless.
Please see the numbers for Dutch wind turbine installations here for details:
https://notrickszone.com/2012/09/09/north-holland-province-says-no-to-new-windparks-mega-money-pit-with-virtually-no-merit/