Germany Energy Woes: Not To Be Followed

Germany launched an ambitious plan to transition to renewable energy at the dawn of the millennium. ‘Die Energiewende’ initiated a massive expansion of solar and wind power, resulting in a commendable 25 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2022 compared to 2002. ⁽¹⁾

But while Energiewende slashed pollution through building out renewable energy sources, it also phased out Germany’s fleet of safe, carbon-free nuclear power plants, a longtime goal of environmental activists afraid of nuclear’s salient, but in actuality small, dangers. The result has been a boondoggle for consumers and for the environment.

In 2002, nuclear power supplied about a fifth of Germany’s electricity

In 2002, nuclear power supplied about a fifth of Germany’s electricity. Twenty-one years later, it supplied none. A layperson might think that cheap wind and solar could simply fill the gap, but it isn’t so simple. Once up and running, nuclear reactors provide reliable, affordable base-load power, electricity that’s available all the time. Ephemeral renewables simply can’t match nuclear’s consistency. And since an advanced economy like Germany’s requires a 100 percent reliable power grid, fossil fuel power plants burning coal and natural gas were brought online to pick up wind and solar’s slack. ⁽¹⁾

The net result of German politicians’ shortsightedness in phasing out nuclear power is a vastly pricier grid. , If they just kept it and didn’t build all that wind and solar panels, they wouldn’t have had to spend 697 billion euros on subsidies, and would have cut their emissions by 73 percent. (2)

Yet, here’s what Blackout News reports, ”After Oracle and Microsoft, Google also plans to power its data centers with nuclear power.” Apparently, wind and sun just don’t make the grade. CO2 neutrality just won’t be possible without nuclear power. ⁽³⁾

According to reports, Google is currently forming a team to research alternative energies without CO2 emissions and plans to use small modular nuclear reactors to power its AI data centers. Today, many of Google’s data centers operate on a basis of about 90 percent CO2 free, But, 100% won’t be possible without nuclear, it appears.

Big Tech’s move to nuclear energy to power its data centers show that green energies like wind and sun alone cannot meet the energy needs of our modern digital world. ⁽³⁾

Economy on the Brink

Let’s look at the big economic picture for Germany. Comparing Germany versus US states, Germany is way at the top of the list, over 38 cents per kWh, well over double the US average. ⁽⁴⁾

The bottom line is that Germany is running faster and faster to stay in place. In the meantime, it is destroying its economy.

Germany registered 11,000 corporate insolvencies in the first half of 2024. This is an increase of almost 30 percent compared to the same period last year and marks the highest level for almost ten years. ⁽⁵⁾

Ifo Business Climate fell to 85.7 points in August 2024, down from 87.4 points in the previous month. Pessimism is spreading and deepening. That’s the lowest level sentiment in 3 years.

The current socialist green government has botched things so much, and now has no idea how to proceed further. It is clear that the German economy is currently in a serious crisis. ⁽⁶⁾

Politicians in Germany had been racing to eliminate fossil fuel cars and replace them with e-cars. But then the technical and economic realities began to sink in, especially among private consumers, who are turning their backs on them in droves. 91% of German e-car dealerships see current order situation as poor or very poor for the year. Electric car sales among private consumers in the first half of 2024 have fallen through the floor, dropping a whopping 47% compared to a year earlier. ⁽⁷⁾

Green Movement

The green movement in Germany is in free-fall collapse. A stunning 85% of the youth have turned their backs on the Green Party in the state of Thuringia. ⁽⁸⁾

Things just keep getting worse for the greens in Germany. After two terrible performances in recent state elections the party crashed out of the state parliament in the Brandenburg region of Germany, which surrounds Berlin. Results were so awful, the two current leaders of the German greens jointly stepped down. ⁽⁹⁾

The greens won a mere four percent of the vote in the region, not even reaching the minimum five percent required to win a parliamentary seat in the State election. Thuringia also failed to cross the five percent requirement. About 70% of their voter base has abandoned them in the last five years.

Germany is showing the world that the green craze is doomed to failure. People do not want to sacrifice their quality of life and their jobs for some utopian goals that are in any case based only on ideological assumptions and incomplete data sets.

References

1. Ross Pomeroy, “Study quantities Germany’s disastrous switch away from nuclear power,” realclearscience.com, August 27, 2024
2. Jo Nova, “If Germany kept nuclear power, it could have cut emissions by 73% principia-scientific.org, September 10, 2024
3. P. Gosselin, “Germany risks being left behind, big tech confirms CO2 neutrality only possible with nuclear power,” notrickszone.com, October 1, 2024
4. Francis Menton, “In Germany, the energy transition situation only gets worse,” manhattancontrarian.com, September 7, 2024
5. P. Gosselin, “German green raw deal: first half 2024 insolvencies skyrocket 30%, near 10 year high,” notrickszone.com, August 11, 2024
6. P. Gosselin, “Botched green new deal: business sentiment in Germany is now free-falling, on the brink,” notrickszone.com, August 31, 2024
7. P. Gosselin, “Germany’s green transition collapse: electric vehicle sales plummet 47% in first half of this year,”, notrickszone.com, August 7, 2024
8. P. Gosselin, “German youth have woken up! Green party loses 83% of its young voters in Thuringia,” notrickszone.com, August 27, 2024
9. Jo Nova, “German leaders resign after green party’s crushing election loss,” principia-scientific.org, October 7, 2024