{"id":343184,"date":"2024-09-15T16:47:29","date_gmt":"2024-09-15T14:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=343184"},"modified":"2024-09-15T16:47:32","modified_gmt":"2024-09-15T14:47:32","slug":"fritz-vahrenholt-the-energy-transition-is-coming-apart-at-the-seams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=343184","title":{"rendered":"Fritz Vahrenholt: The energy transition is coming apart at the seams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"380\" data-attachment-id=\"343196\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=343196\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?fit=1200%2C630&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1200,630\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"green-hydrogen-hype\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?fit=723%2C380&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?resize=723%2C380&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-343196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?resize=1024%2C538&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?resize=300%2C158&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?resize=768%2C403&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/klimanachrichten.de\/2024\/09\/13\/fritz-vahrenholt-die-energiewende-geraet-aus-den-fugen\/\">KlimaNachrichten<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/klimanachrichten.de\/author\/redakteur\/\">KlimaNachrichten Editor<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Monthly newsletter from Fritz Vahrenholt<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the chart shows, global mean temperatures in August remained roughly the same as in July 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, I will first deal with the fluctuations in PV and wind power generation, which intensified in August and are becoming a burden on the federal budget. Then I will show the means with which the federal government will turn the gas price screw from January 2025 onwards in order to be able to better enforce the unpopular heat pump.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" data-attachment-id=\"343186\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=343186\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-345.png?fit=580%2C326&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"580,326\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-345.png?fit=580%2C326&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-345.png?resize=580%2C326&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-343186\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-345.png?w=580&amp;ssl=1 580w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-345.png?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First of all, I start with a graphic that I showed at the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514211\/0b09f3f1bf.html\">citizens&#8217; summit\u00a0<\/a>in front of an audience of 900 in the Liederhalle Stuttgart. It shows the core of the energy transition: Stable, low-cost, CO2-free electricity generation based on nuclear energy is exchanged for unstable, too expensive electricity generation based on wind and solar energy.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" data-attachment-id=\"343188\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=343188\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-347.png?fit=580%2C326&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"580,326\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-347.png?fit=580%2C326&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-347.png?resize=580%2C326&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-343188\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-347.png?w=580&amp;ssl=1 580w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-347.png?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Source : Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514212\/70107824a3.html\">Energy-charts<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>600 billion for the energy transition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The chart shows that the energy transition has brought nothing else in terms of CO2-free electricity generation than to replace cheap nuclear energy with more expensive and unreliable wind and solar power since 2002. In a publication by Jan Emblemsv\u00e5g of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim in the prestigious journal<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514138\/22e39e0aa8.html\">&nbsp;&#8220;International Journal of Sustainable Energy&#8221;,<\/a>&nbsp;he comes to the conclusion: If Germany had stuck with nuclear energy in 2002, it would have&nbsp;<strong>saved \u20ac600 billion&nbsp;<\/strong>and produced as much CO\u2082-free electricity as with all its renewable energies. Axel Bojanowski writes&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.welt.de\/wissenschaft\/plus253434654\/Atomausstieg-Energiewende-kostete-Deutschland-Hunderte-Milliarden-Euro.html?cachebuster=true\">in Die Welt<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;If Germany had even invested in nuclear power from 2002 onwards, its greenhouse gas emissions would have been reduced by around 73 percent more \u2013 and the country would still have saved \u20ac300 billion compared to the energy transition.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So far, Germany has become 600 billion euros poorer as a result of the energy transition, without this turnaround having had any benefit. In this respect, the Norwegian energy expert confirms the assessment of the Federal Audit Office:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514139\/b28e325bd9.html\">&#8220;The German government invests billions in climate protection, but does not know how successful its investments are and whether they are worthwhile<\/a>.<br>But it will be even worse if this policy is not stopped by 2025 at the latest. The consulting firm EY and the German Association of Energy and Water Industries put the investments to be made from 2023 to 2035&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514146\/39f110b7b5.html\">at a staggering \u20ac1214 billion.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Federal Minister of Economics, on the other hand, assesses the energy transition as follows: &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514147\/00473dbbf7.html\">Germany must take risks in the energy transition&#8221;.<\/a>&nbsp;And further: If things don&#8217;t go well, they will have to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514147\/00473dbbf7.html\">&#8220;set up a different business model&#8221;.<\/a>&nbsp;That will not be the business model of an industrialized country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The cost spiral of wind and solar energy is turning faster and faster<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">August 2024 dramatically shows the absurdity of the uncontrolled further expansion of wind and solar energy. As can be seen in the graph, solar (yellow) and wind energy (blue) were sufficient to cover the demand for electricity (brown) in the midday hours of August. In addition, however, the hydroelectric power plants and always conventional power plants are still running, which must be connected to the grid for reasons of grid stabilization, so that the electricity demand would often be exceeded by electricity generation at noon if plants were not switched off and paid for anyway or the electricity was given away abroad. Stock market prices are falling to zero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the solar and wind power operators receive a bindingly guaranteed feed-in tariff (wind currently 7.35 \u20acct\/kwh, solar roofs about&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514148\/4ab301afd0.html\">8-12 \u20acct\/kwh<\/a>), although the solar or wind power generated has a value of zero or even falls below zero again and again. The difference to the stock market price is taken from the federal budget. In August, the sum of daily co-payments (red in the lower part of the graph) amounts to \u20ac1,640,069,048.60. \u20ac1.6 billion in August results in about&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514149\/c5c95c0ee5.html\">\u20ac20 billion<\/a>&nbsp;per year, \u20ac10 billion more than originally planned. We remember: The coalition parties could not agree on a balanced budget for 2025. A \u20ac12 billion gap is not covered by revenue. Nobody thought of the cancellation of the EEG tax gifts at the traffic light.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"579\" height=\"490\" data-attachment-id=\"343191\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=343191\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-349.png?fit=579%2C490&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"579,490\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-349.png?fit=579%2C490&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-349.png?resize=579%2C490&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-343191\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-349.png?w=579&amp;ssl=1 579w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-349.png?resize=300%2C254&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 579px) 100vw, 579px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the chart also shows how useless the attempt by the Minister of Economic Affairs and his Federal Network Agency is to shift the production of goods in Germany to the times when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing by changing the grid fee. Of course, this change in grid fees will disadvantage the continuous production of goods in Germany and drive it out of the country. This was described in detail<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514159\/af6880d401.html\">&nbsp;in my last newsletter<\/a>.<br>The real scandal, however, is that this change in network fees with these far-reaching consequences is not discussed and decided by the German Bundestag. This non-transparent policy has already been practiced once before with the change in gas network fees, which can be increased from January 2025.<br><br><strong>Citizens are to be<\/strong><br><br>asked to pay for the destruction of the gas networks from 2025 It is hard to believe. Quietly and secretly, the<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514152\/c2346a02a5.html\">&nbsp;Federal Network Agency, under the leadership of the Green Party member Klaus M\u00fcller<\/a>, has decided that gas network operators will be able to increase gas network fees by a whopping 20 \u2013 40% from 1 January 2025. The reason is outrageous. The Federal Network Agency assumes that the Climate Protection Act will mean that no more CO2 may be emitted in Germany from 2045 and that gas heating systems will therefore no longer be allowed to be operated from 2045 onwards and that the gas grids in Germany will therefore have to be shut down by 2045. That is only twenty years left and therefore many gas pipelines with an economic service life of 50 years will not yet be fully depreciated in 2045.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For this reason, the Federal Network Agency allows gas network operators to increase depreciation of up to 12% and to shorten the remaining depreciation period to 20 years or less. This will lead to an increase in depreciation costs, so that even the Federal Network Agency expects an increase in gas network fees of 20%,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514156\/f5d94ad0ba.html\">experts expect up to 40<\/a>%. Neither parliament nor citizens have been asked whether they really want all gas networks in Germany to be shut down or torn out by 2045. We are talking about&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514153\/a2bf3799c8.html\">550,000 km of gas pipelines<\/a>&nbsp;in our cities, municipalities and districts with a value of<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514153\/a2bf3799c8.html\">&nbsp;\u20ac270 billion.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"580\" height=\"812\" data-attachment-id=\"343193\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=343193\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-351.png?fit=580%2C812&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"580,812\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-351.png?fit=580%2C812&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-351.png?resize=580%2C812&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-343193\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-351.png?w=580&amp;ssl=1 580w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-351.png?resize=214%2C300&amp;ssl=1 214w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Source:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514214\/9f04b0168c.html\">DVGW e.V.<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The increase can also be summed up under the motto: How do we spoil the citizens&#8217; fun with their own gas heating? By making the use of gas expensive, then the unloved heat pump will still be accepted. In the last 10 years, investments in gas pipelines, especially in the new federal states, have risen from about&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514157\/582fcf0469.html\">\u20ac1 billion to \u20ac1.5 billion per year<\/a>, and now these brand-new pipelines are also to be scrapped in 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Federal Network Agency has a very special treat for the cities that wanted to be particularly green and wanted an earlier phase-out date from oil, gas and coal. Cities that want to phase out by 2035 can increasingly ask citizens to pay a higher gas network fee until 2035. These are the cities of Augsburg, Stuttgart, Bonn, Oldenburg, Krefeld, Munich, Frankfurt, Dortmund, Dresden. The citizens of Mannheim, M\u00fcnster and Aachen, who want to get out in five years, will also &#8220;enjoy&#8221; the particularly strong fee increase. From 15 October 2024, gas network operators will be allowed to announce their increases for 2025. Gas network charges averaged \u20ac1.89\/kwh in 2023. With a 20% increase, households and businesses (excluding industry), which consume 477 billion kWh of gas, will incur costs of an additional \u20ac1.8 billion per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much more important, however, is the consideration of the costs incurred in replacing the gas network with an expansion of the power grid and end-use equipment. It is \u20ac268 billion, as VNG from Leipzig, one of Germany&#8217;s largest gas traders, calculated in the study&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514201\/fae16e3da4.html\">&#8220;The Value of Gas Infrastructure for the Energy Transition&#8221;.<\/a>&nbsp;3 years ago, the ousted State Secretary Graichen announced the closure of the gas pipelines. During the government of the SPD, the Greens and the FDP, the idea was implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How do we get out of the wrong path? A new federal government must first redefine the CO2 reduction target for 2045 in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement. It states: &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/t32b8e15b.emailsys1a.net\/c\/200\/7757120\/1101\/0\/2303345\/314\/514202\/9df76542f9.html\">The contracting parties are striving to&#8230; in the second half of this century, a balance between anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases from sources and the removal of such gases by sinks &#8230; ( Article 4 of the Paris Agreement)&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, &#8220;the second half&#8221; does not mean 2045. Secondly, more than half of the world&#8217;s annual CO2 emissions are now absorbed by plants and oceans (sinks in the Paris Agreement). Net zero therefore means at most halving emissions. And you can even calculate that for the Federal Constitutional Court. This will make many of the encroaching bans such as the ban on heating, the ban on internal combustion engines, and the ban on power plants obsolete. Only in this way will Germany have a good future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sincerely,<br><br>Fritz Vahrenholt<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Germany has become 600 billion euros poorer as a result of the energy transition, without this turnaround having had any benefit. In this respect, the Norwegian energy expert confirms the assessment of the Federal Audit Office: &#8220;The German government invests billions in climate protection, but does not know how successful its investments are and whether they are worthwhile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":343196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_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":[691830599,691818618,691818206,691818728],"class_list":["post-343184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-co2-free-electricity","tag-energy-transition","tag-nuclear-power","tag-wind-and-solar","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1rhe","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":378263,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=378263","url_meta":{"origin":343184,"position":0},"title":"Fritz Vahrenholt: The ice of the Antarctic is increasing!","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/14\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"If you look at the Helmholtz Society's climate website with the ambitious name \"Climate Facts\" under Antarctica, you will read the following: \"The important Antarctic continental ice is disappearing, and at an increasing pace\".\u00a0According to the Helmholtz Society, this would be of great importance for rising sea levels. And indeed,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Antarctic Glaciers\"","block_context":{"text":"Antarctic Glaciers","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=antarctic-glaciers"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/02361_antarctic-peninsula.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/02361_antarctic-peninsula.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/02361_antarctic-peninsula.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/02361_antarctic-peninsula.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/02361_antarctic-peninsula.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":358332,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=358332","url_meta":{"origin":343184,"position":1},"title":"Cautious Optimism on the Demise of the Green Energy Fantasy","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"12\/23\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"It has been obvious now for many years to the numerate that the fantasy future powered by wind and sun is not going to happen. Sooner or later, reality will inevitably intrude. And yet, the fantasy has gone on for far longer than I ever would have thought possible. Hundreds\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"electricity supply\"","block_context":{"text":"electricity supply","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=electricity-supply"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0BN-JF776_edp070_M_20150705140107.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0BN-JF776_edp070_M_20150705140107.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0BN-JF776_edp070_M_20150705140107.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0BN-JF776_edp070_M_20150705140107.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0BN-JF776_edp070_M_20150705140107.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":369994,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=369994","url_meta":{"origin":343184,"position":2},"title":"Fritz Vahrenholt: Germany- No change of policy in energy and climate policy","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/14\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"This fatal policy of replacing base-load electricity from nuclear and coal-fired power plants with more expensive and unreliable renewable energies is to be continued by the black-red coalition. For example, the exploratory paper calls for\u00a0\"the determined and grid-friendly expansion of solar and wind energy\".\u00a0The fact that solar and wind energy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"carbon capture and storage (CCS)\"","block_context":{"text":"carbon capture and storage (CCS)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=carbon-capture-and-storage-ccs"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00-friedrich-merz-im-bundestag-ffa51b2b1ab59e8c.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00-friedrich-merz-im-bundestag-ffa51b2b1ab59e8c.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00-friedrich-merz-im-bundestag-ffa51b2b1ab59e8c.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00-friedrich-merz-im-bundestag-ffa51b2b1ab59e8c.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00-friedrich-merz-im-bundestag-ffa51b2b1ab59e8c.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":356726,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=356726","url_meta":{"origin":343184,"position":3},"title":"Fritz Vahrenholt: Will the failed energy policy be continued after the elections?","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"12\/21\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"From 2.11 to 8.11 and from 10.12 to 13.12, the electricity supply from renewable energies collapsed in Germany. A general weather situation typical of winter, with a lull in wind and minimal solar radiation at the same time, led to supply shortages, high electricity imports and exploding electricity prices. At\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate Protection Act\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate Protection Act","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-protection-act"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0reichstag-dietmar-rabich-wikimedia-commons-2019-6310.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0reichstag-dietmar-rabich-wikimedia-commons-2019-6310.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0reichstag-dietmar-rabich-wikimedia-commons-2019-6310.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0reichstag-dietmar-rabich-wikimedia-commons-2019-6310.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0reichstag-dietmar-rabich-wikimedia-commons-2019-6310.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":346344,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=346344","url_meta":{"origin":343184,"position":4},"title":"Fritz Vahrenholt: The warming of recent years is a consequence of increased solar radiation and has little to do with CO2","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/11\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Total CO2 emissions have not increased for 10 years. Emissions from fossil sources have increased slightly, but this has been offset by reduced CO2 emissions due to changes in land use (deforestation, forest fires, agriculture). See next graphic, source: Global carbon project 2023) (Red: total CO2 emissions, Black: CO2 emissions\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"carbon dioxide (CO2)\"","block_context":{"text":"carbon dioxide (CO2)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=carbon-dioxide-co2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/01133889-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/01133889-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/01133889-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/01133889-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/01133889-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":361230,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=361230","url_meta":{"origin":343184,"position":5},"title":"Fritz Vahrenholt: After the dark doldrums comes the light breeze","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In November and December, Germany experienced what happens to a power supply system when it relies on solar power and wind energy and shuts down controllable coal and nuclear power plants. When the sun is not shining and the wind fails to materialize, causing electricity to become scarce, prices rise\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Blackout\"","block_context":{"text":"Blackout","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=blackout"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/00Blackouts-in-Bars-and-Restaurants-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C848&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/00Blackouts-in-Bars-and-Restaurants-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C848&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/00Blackouts-in-Bars-and-Restaurants-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C848&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/00Blackouts-in-Bars-and-Restaurants-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C848&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/00Blackouts-in-Bars-and-Restaurants-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C848&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343184","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=343184"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":343197,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343184\/revisions\/343197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/343196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=343184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=343184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=343184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}