{"id":270000,"date":"2023-07-28T18:25:11","date_gmt":"2023-07-28T16:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=270000"},"modified":"2023-07-28T18:25:14","modified_gmt":"2023-07-28T16:25:14","slug":"coal-fired-power-rescues-germany-from-failed-wind-solar-transition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=270000","title":{"rendered":"Coal-Fired Power Rescues Germany From Failed Wind & Solar \u2018Transition\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From STOP THESE THINGS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Germans have worked out that relying on the weather for your power has one major problem: \u201cThe Weather\u201d. They\u2019ve even coined a term for gloomy, windless weather \u2013 \u2018dunkelflaute\u2019 \u2013 periods of days or weeks when their more than 30,000 wind turbines and millions of solar panels produce next to nothing or nothing at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having foolishly trashed their (once enviable) nuclear power generation capacity, the Germans have\u00a0been forced to re-embrace coal-fired power<\/a>, like their lives depend upon it \u2013 notwithstanding howls of outrage from their lunatic green fringe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

German power prices are the highest in Europe and large-scale power rationing is now routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result for the German economy is, of course, catastrophic, as Claire Lehmann outline below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why Germany\u2019s energy blunders offer us a stark economic warning<\/strong>
The Australian
Claire Lehmann
21 July 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Since the 19th century, the phrase \u201cMade in Germany\u201d has denoted quality and reliability in manufacturing. This reputation, and the exports that have flowed from it, has enabled Germany to build the fourth-largest economy in the world \u2013 sometimes described as the enginehouse of the eurozone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in recent years some of Germany\u2019s most famous brands have moved their manufacturing offshore, and the head of the German Industry Federation, Siegfried Russwurm, has warned that energy prices are so high the country risks losing many of its companies altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entering a recession in the first quarter of this year, Germany\u2019s recovery has been slower than expected. The Federation of German Business recently found that 16 per cent of businesses surveyed are already in the process of leaving the country, with another 30 per cent planning on following suit. Tesla has halted plans to build factories near Berlin, and the European Commission predicts Germany will be one of the slowest-growing economies this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the factors contributing to this economic decline are complex, but one key policy decision made in the mid-2000s appears to have played a pivotal role. With the benefit of hindsight, we can now see that during her tenure as chancellor, Angela Merkel embarked upon a decision that would prove to be one of the greatest policy mistakes ever made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A decade ago, Germany had 17 nuclear plants in operation and sourced around one-quarter of its energy from nuclear energy. Although the nation has always had a vocal \u201cdark green\u201d environmentalist movement that advocated for \u201cdegrowth\u201d, Merkel originally resisted calls from anti-nuclear advocates, describing their policy preferences as \u201cabsolutely wrong\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that all changed in 2011, in the wake of Fukushima. The New York Times reported at the time that Merkel \u201creached the momentous decision to phase out nuclear power by 2022 after discussing it one night over red wine with her husband, Joachim Sauer, a physicist and university professor, at their apartment in central Berlin\u201d. It would prove to be a monumental mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this year Germany shuttered the last three of its remaining nuclear plants, to the celebration of local Greens and anti-nuclear activists. However, environmentalists outside Germany were aghast. And even Greta Thunberg observed it was a mistake. Data from 2022 indicated that the use of coal had increased by 8.4 per cent on the preceding year, and that coal remained Germany\u2019s dominant power source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the hundreds of billions spent on renewables (that\u2019s billions not millions), Germany\u2019s carbon emissions persist at double the rate of neighbouring France and nearly triple the rate of Sweden. The country also grapples with electricity prices three times the global average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Judith Sloan wrote earlier this week, the disappointing situation in Europe provides a stark warning to Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While in Germany recently, Anthony Albanese signed on to the \u201cClimate Club\u201d, a group of nations with lofty decarbonisation ambitions. But Germany should not be offering lessons on how to achieve decarbonisation \u2013 on the contrary, its example should be seen as a cautionary tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One economic analysis of Germany\u2019s nuclear phase-out estimates that the nuclear phase-out has cost the country at least $12bn, and has contributed to thousands of preventable deaths from the air pollution generated from the burning of coal. Germany\u2019s spot on the Yale Environmental Performance Index has slid backwards, and analysts note its electricity grid is the third-most carbon-intensive in all of Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since embarking on the Energiewende, Germany has experienced escalating electricity costs tied to feed-in tariffs and instability during periods of low wind and solar energy generation. Integrating fluctuating renewable energy sources into the power grid has plunged it into uncertainty, creating a volatile mix of surplus and shortfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, nations boasting the lowest carbon emissions in Europe have not staked their fortunes on wind and solar power alone. Sweden, for instance, charted a course toward nuclear energy in the 1970s, and now emits a mere 3.42 tonnes of carbon per capita compared to Germany\u2019s 8.09 tonnes. Over the past two decades, Sweden\u2019s economy has thrived, boasting a growth rate twice that of Germany\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the energy intensity of an industry such as manufacturing, it is not entirely surprising that energy policy blunders have precipitated the German economic malaise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Australia does not rely on manufacturing like Germany does, we do share a significant parallel \u2013 a lack of economic complexity. Our nation\u2019s backbone lies in mines and farms, akin to the centrality of factories to Germany\u2019s economy. And like manufacturing, both mining and agriculture rely on cheap and abundant energy to thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australia only ranks 25th in the world in the Global Innovation Index, with output in scientific and technical articles identified as one of our core weaknesses. Other weaknesses identified by the index include a lack of hi-tech manufacturing, lack of export complexity and a lack of intellectual property receipts. The industries that provide a buffer against rising energy costs simply do not yet exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than transforming the country into a renewable energy superpower, Germany\u2019s Energiewende has created a rust belt. And rather than learn from Germany\u2019s mistakes, Australia appears intent on replicating them.
The Australian<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since the 19th century, the phrase \u201cMade in Germany\u201d has denoted quality and reliability in manufacturing. This reputation, and the exports that have flowed from it, has enabled Germany to build the fourth-largest economy in the world \u2013 sometimes described as the enginehouse of the eurozone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":270013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818904,691821415,691821414,691818675,691821416],"class_list":{"0":"post-270000","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-dunkelflaute","9":"tag-economic-warning","10":"tag-germanys-energiewende","11":"tag-merkel","12":"tag-wind-solar-transition-3","14":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0PHOTO-ArcVera-Renewable-energy-India-Wind-Solar-and-Storage.jpg?fit=2936%2C1250&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-18eQ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":240114,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=240114","url_meta":{"origin":270000,"position":0},"title":"RE-Treat: Europe\u2019s Repeated Wind & Solar Failures Force Renewable Energy Reversal","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"17\/01\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Germany and Britain are so heavily dependent on wind and solar, that gloomy, windless weather now presents an existential threat. The Germans have even coined a word for it: \u2018dunkelflaute\u2019.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-750.png?fit=1200%2C882&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-750.png?fit=1200%2C882&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-750.png?fit=1200%2C882&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-750.png?fit=1200%2C882&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-750.png?fit=1200%2C882&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":236091,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=236091","url_meta":{"origin":270000,"position":1},"title":"The wind always blows somewhere in Europe","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"25\/12\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Not sure if Norway and Sweden have enough electricity available to provide to the rest of North West Europe in case of a Dunkelflaute\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0Windkraft-Nibelungen_001-1280x854-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0Windkraft-Nibelungen_001-1280x854-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0Windkraft-Nibelungen_001-1280x854-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0Windkraft-Nibelungen_001-1280x854-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0Windkraft-Nibelungen_001-1280x854-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":431537,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=431537","url_meta":{"origin":270000,"position":2},"title":"Storing Green Energy To Last Germany 10 Days Would Require A 60-Million Tonne Battery","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"16\/03\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"An article at the European Institute for Climate & Energy (EIKE) website here takes a critical look at whether battery parks would be feasible to fully secure Germany\u2019s weather-dependent power generation from wind and solar.","rel":"","context":"In \"\u201cDunkelflaute\u201d (dark doldrums)\"","block_context":{"text":"\u201cDunkelflaute\u201d (dark doldrums)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=dunkelflaute-dark-doldrums"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0-Storing-Green-Energy-To-Last-Germany-10-Days-Would-Require-A-60-Million-Tonne-Battery.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0-Storing-Green-Energy-To-Last-Germany-10-Days-Would-Require-A-60-Million-Tonne-Battery.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0-Storing-Green-Energy-To-Last-Germany-10-Days-Would-Require-A-60-Million-Tonne-Battery.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0-Storing-Green-Energy-To-Last-Germany-10-Days-Would-Require-A-60-Million-Tonne-Battery.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":238646,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=238646","url_meta":{"origin":270000,"position":3},"title":"Climate Changed: Calm, Gloomy Weather Killing Europe\u2019s Grand Wind & Solar \u2018Transition\u2019","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/01\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In the mother of all ironies, Europe\u2019s wind and sun cult are complaining about uncooperative weather. The Germans have even coined a word for it: \u2018dunkelflaute\u2019 \u2013 meaning a period of gloomy, windless weather. Which, in reality, means little or nothing by way of output from their more than 30,000\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0wind-turbines.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0wind-turbines.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0wind-turbines.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0wind-turbines.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0wind-turbines.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":234726,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=234726","url_meta":{"origin":270000,"position":4},"title":"Now is the Winter of Our Renewables Discontent","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"17\/12\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The cold snap is exposing the limits of wind and solar \u2013 and the insanity of the green agenda.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/00frozen-solar-farm.png?fit=970%2C648&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/00frozen-solar-farm.png?fit=970%2C648&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/00frozen-solar-farm.png?fit=970%2C648&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/00frozen-solar-farm.png?fit=970%2C648&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":368211,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=368211","url_meta":{"origin":270000,"position":5},"title":"The German Dunkelflautes at the end of\u00a02024","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/03\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The German Weather Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst) mentioned a\u00a0Dunkelflaute between November 2 and 7\u00a0(meaning 6 days), but I found other (less reliable) sources that also included November 8 (so 7 days). The Dunkelflaute in December was even more elusive. I only found one (not reliable) source that mentioned December 10 \u2192\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Agorameter Energiewende\"","block_context":{"text":"Agorameter Energiewende","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=agorameter-energiewende"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00energiewende-desaster-dunkelflaute-treibt-deutschland-in-die-stromkrise-1187.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00energiewende-desaster-dunkelflaute-treibt-deutschland-in-die-stromkrise-1187.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00energiewende-desaster-dunkelflaute-treibt-deutschland-in-die-stromkrise-1187.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00energiewende-desaster-dunkelflaute-treibt-deutschland-in-die-stromkrise-1187.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00energiewende-desaster-dunkelflaute-treibt-deutschland-in-die-stromkrise-1187.png?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=270000"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":270014,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270000\/revisions\/270014"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/270013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=270000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=270000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=270000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}