Back in 2015 Bloomberg reported that some German companies were sending operations to the US because the wind and solar was causing too many fluctuations in the grid. As a result, motors were being damaged. This wasn't happening with natural gas generation in America.
When I see claims that wind or solar have become the biggest source of electricity, I know such people do not know the difference between the unit of energy and unit of consumption. Or they are lying.
Dear Irina, great article, although you could have mentioned that electricity prices (that is - wholesale) do increase when the sun doesn't blow and the wind doesn't shine. Just look at this paper which found this astonishing correlation between weather and RES and prices: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988324004973
What is to be done? Well, businesses can always relocate to friendlier climates (i'm so sorry...) but households not really. Yet pushing more of the costs of the "transition" on households will be very-very-very difficult, as in political suicide.
So the coming months will be interesting, watching the crusaders hanging out between a stone and a hard place.
I should have mentioned it in the name of factual fairness, you're right. It sometimes gets hard to keep track of how often I repeat obvious things lest I bore all of you.
Interesting selection for the new opera season in Brussels, I like it. :D
You will pay more for an inferior product & you will like it. These bobbleheads have constructed the most efficient circular firing squad, ever! Time to stick a fork in them? They appear to be pretty done. 🤡
Being an old fogey, I'm conditioned to admire "German engineering". Historically automobiles would be a prime example. Mercedes, BMW , Audi and Porsche come to mind. What do the powers that be within those organizations have to say to their leaders? It would seem that engineering expertise does not live in a vacuum. Energy is necessary to execute the engineering designs, and a comparative disadvantage is not good for business.
Thanks John…Maybe that long ago (‘81) MBA from the University of Chicago paid off just a bit. I actually really enjoyed microeconomics my first semester there. In addition to comparative advantage, I’ve always remember the concept of marginal utility. It is indeed a curve and not a straight line.
I had the same conditioning until I learned from a mechanic that Mercedes and BMW break down very often and before I learned that German inverters under-perform Chinese ones, by a lot. And I'm never forgiving Porsche for making an EV version. I don't care that they're owned by VW now, it still stings. A truly sad development.
Irina, I know it's just your Pratchett-esque way of writing, but I have to note: insinuating that the Germans "are a patient people" [in regards to Robert Habeck, who doesn't know what an "insolvency" is, if judged by his quote]:
I would think they'd happily get rid of the whole unholy and incompetent cabinet - but alas, "Democracy" prevails and Germany needs to protect it by getting the biggest incompetents into an important office, because they are in the "right party" - in case of Robert Habeck, this means "Greens" of course. And since when did a "Greens" party member ever need any competence when they can just wield a sword of glorious and blind ideology to cut down the imbeciles insisting on using sense and logic?
Would the Germans un-elect the Greens, given a chance?
Indeed, it seems that people are just about starting to get fed up. The question is whether they would get fed up enough to vote those incompetents out. We shall see, seeing as the incompetents are quite competent in finding ways to hold on to power, as meticulously detailed by eugyppius here on Substack.
And yet, the powers that be continue to insist that we should imitate Germany. They don't see the failure. I guess they're just counting the number of windmills and calling that success.
From the beginnging, why imitate the abject failure that is Germany, in terms of CO2 emissions, instead of the glowing success story which is France, though the French don't seem to clearly appreciate it?
Thank you, Robert. You know, part of me feels the same way as you do but another does feel sad about all the people who had no way to see this coming because they were too busy with their own lives and now have to suffer the consequences of that. For those who voted the Greens in, I feel zero sympathy.
My mom voted for the greens. She is a good person, a very good and lifelong teacher of disadvantaged kids. She reads a daily newspaper full of green propaganda (like 95% of German newspapers) and she trusts public broadcasting, which is also 95% green propaganda. Those two media are her sole source of information about the world. She is 75 years old and will hardly start investigating on social media, substack, wherever...
Is it really her fault that Germany is where it is now? I'd say no, it is the perpetrators in the media, the elites that have poisoned minds with their evil, green agenda. Of course they need naive substrate in the population but around two thirds of people anywhere are followers who don't think critically.
You make an excellent point and I must admit I was thinking more of the young, enthusiastic voters that the elderly people with a lifelong habit of believing the media -- it's not their fault.
I stand corrected, especially since I've said before that I cannot blame the people who are unaware of the realities of the energy world because they are under no obligation to be aware of it. Most people are indeed good people, including climate activists. Alas, this doesn't make them any less dangerous. But now that all these people have seen what Green politics are doing to their lives, I see they no longer vote for them. I guess the propaganda and mind-poisoning can only go so far, and that's where mu hope lies.
Isn’t the German proposal in practice the same as dynamic tariffs that the U.K. is dragging its heals to fully roll out. Personally I find them wonderful, you have the option of a tariff fixed for months or one that changes every 30 minutes, choose whichever you’re most comfortable with
If you’ve prepared to put a little effort in, or as I do just automate things, you can pick cheaper times and same money. Add in the demand flexibility events, which I also automate, and there’s more upside
I'm uncomfortable with the idea of adjusting my electricity use to changing rates beyond turning the water heater on during the night to take advantage of lower night rates. It could just be my age, I'm a bit set in my ways. Always good to have alternatives, certainly.
That’s why I automate. My heat pump controller uses weather forecast and house behaviour to predict heating requirements then picks the cheapest 30 minute times and chooses when to run to maintain house temperature. I don’t have to do anything other than set the thermostat just like anyone else does
When there is a money making demand flexibility event the controller doesn’t run the pump for an hour, again I don’t have to do anything
The technology is all available but it seems to be a bit of a secret
I don’t bother with other electricity use as that is minimal compared to heating … except for the car which is only charged at night. Or today between 13:00-14:00 when all my electricity is free
You're right, that's the mechanism. Fearmongering at a massive scale.
The Germans going for full Götterdämmerung via eco madness.
Your cynicism is so delicious we can taste it.
Great post!
The energy transition works so well it's defeating Germany...
Back in 2015 Bloomberg reported that some German companies were sending operations to the US because the wind and solar was causing too many fluctuations in the grid. As a result, motors were being damaged. This wasn't happening with natural gas generation in America.
When I see claims that wind or solar have become the biggest source of electricity, I know such people do not know the difference between the unit of energy and unit of consumption. Or they are lying.
They are manipulating the facts, that's what Ember does.
If you take a deeper look at Canada, Princess Trudeau and his band of Climagoons are neck and neck with Germany’s lunatic leadership
With a few notable exceptions: Alberta and Saskatchewan (the former has recently welcomed a new $2 billion project with the German company, Linde).
Dear Irina, great article, although you could have mentioned that electricity prices (that is - wholesale) do increase when the sun doesn't blow and the wind doesn't shine. Just look at this paper which found this astonishing correlation between weather and RES and prices: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988324004973
What is to be done? Well, businesses can always relocate to friendlier climates (i'm so sorry...) but households not really. Yet pushing more of the costs of the "transition" on households will be very-very-very difficult, as in political suicide.
So the coming months will be interesting, watching the crusaders hanging out between a stone and a hard place.
In the meantime, Sigfried (the opera) comes to Brussels in Sept-Oct, followed by Gotterdammerung in early 2025 : https://www.lamonnaiedemunt.be/nl/program/3148-gotter-dammerung
I should have mentioned it in the name of factual fairness, you're right. It sometimes gets hard to keep track of how often I repeat obvious things lest I bore all of you.
Interesting selection for the new opera season in Brussels, I like it. :D
It's lucky the Germans are knocking down those nuke plants, otherwise the temptation to restart them might be too strong to control.
You will pay more for an inferior product & you will like it. These bobbleheads have constructed the most efficient circular firing squad, ever! Time to stick a fork in them? They appear to be pretty done. 🤡
Being an old fogey, I'm conditioned to admire "German engineering". Historically automobiles would be a prime example. Mercedes, BMW , Audi and Porsche come to mind. What do the powers that be within those organizations have to say to their leaders? It would seem that engineering expertise does not live in a vacuum. Energy is necessary to execute the engineering designs, and a comparative disadvantage is not good for business.
Comparative disadvantage. Bravo - I like the inversion. Joseph Scumpeter would like that. It sums up the whole Net Zero farce.
Thanks John…Maybe that long ago (‘81) MBA from the University of Chicago paid off just a bit. I actually really enjoyed microeconomics my first semester there. In addition to comparative advantage, I’ve always remember the concept of marginal utility. It is indeed a curve and not a straight line.
Sadly, I concur with your use of the word farce.
I had the same conditioning until I learned from a mechanic that Mercedes and BMW break down very often and before I learned that German inverters under-perform Chinese ones, by a lot. And I'm never forgiving Porsche for making an EV version. I don't care that they're owned by VW now, it still stings. A truly sad development.
Bravo! Isn’t Germany the largest Western European economy?
So sad to see it self destruct.
Tense! Imperfect “was” not present continuous “is”.
It is, yes. Its self-destruction will send ripples far and wide.
Irina, I know it's just your Pratchett-esque way of writing, but I have to note: insinuating that the Germans "are a patient people" [in regards to Robert Habeck, who doesn't know what an "insolvency" is, if judged by his quote]:
I would think they'd happily get rid of the whole unholy and incompetent cabinet - but alas, "Democracy" prevails and Germany needs to protect it by getting the biggest incompetents into an important office, because they are in the "right party" - in case of Robert Habeck, this means "Greens" of course. And since when did a "Greens" party member ever need any competence when they can just wield a sword of glorious and blind ideology to cut down the imbeciles insisting on using sense and logic?
Would the Germans un-elect the Greens, given a chance?
A rethorical question if ever one was uttered.
Indeed, it seems that people are just about starting to get fed up. The question is whether they would get fed up enough to vote those incompetents out. We shall see, seeing as the incompetents are quite competent in finding ways to hold on to power, as meticulously detailed by eugyppius here on Substack.
"We've already got Germany"
And yet, the powers that be continue to insist that we should imitate Germany. They don't see the failure. I guess they're just counting the number of windmills and calling that success.
From the beginnging, why imitate the abject failure that is Germany, in terms of CO2 emissions, instead of the glowing success story which is France, though the French don't seem to clearly appreciate it?
This is exactly what they're doing.
Great, piece, Ms. Slav.
If I were a better person, I'd feel badly for Germany. Alas, I'm not.
Germany has driven itself into the ditch. I hope they like it there.
Thank you, Robert. You know, part of me feels the same way as you do but another does feel sad about all the people who had no way to see this coming because they were too busy with their own lives and now have to suffer the consequences of that. For those who voted the Greens in, I feel zero sympathy.
My mom voted for the greens. She is a good person, a very good and lifelong teacher of disadvantaged kids. She reads a daily newspaper full of green propaganda (like 95% of German newspapers) and she trusts public broadcasting, which is also 95% green propaganda. Those two media are her sole source of information about the world. She is 75 years old and will hardly start investigating on social media, substack, wherever...
Is it really her fault that Germany is where it is now? I'd say no, it is the perpetrators in the media, the elites that have poisoned minds with their evil, green agenda. Of course they need naive substrate in the population but around two thirds of people anywhere are followers who don't think critically.
You make an excellent point and I must admit I was thinking more of the young, enthusiastic voters that the elderly people with a lifelong habit of believing the media -- it's not their fault.
I stand corrected, especially since I've said before that I cannot blame the people who are unaware of the realities of the energy world because they are under no obligation to be aware of it. Most people are indeed good people, including climate activists. Alas, this doesn't make them any less dangerous. But now that all these people have seen what Green politics are doing to their lives, I see they no longer vote for them. I guess the propaganda and mind-poisoning can only go so far, and that's where mu hope lies.
Isn’t the German proposal in practice the same as dynamic tariffs that the U.K. is dragging its heals to fully roll out. Personally I find them wonderful, you have the option of a tariff fixed for months or one that changes every 30 minutes, choose whichever you’re most comfortable with
If you’ve prepared to put a little effort in, or as I do just automate things, you can pick cheaper times and same money. Add in the demand flexibility events, which I also automate, and there’s more upside
I'm uncomfortable with the idea of adjusting my electricity use to changing rates beyond turning the water heater on during the night to take advantage of lower night rates. It could just be my age, I'm a bit set in my ways. Always good to have alternatives, certainly.
That’s why I automate. My heat pump controller uses weather forecast and house behaviour to predict heating requirements then picks the cheapest 30 minute times and chooses when to run to maintain house temperature. I don’t have to do anything other than set the thermostat just like anyone else does
When there is a money making demand flexibility event the controller doesn’t run the pump for an hour, again I don’t have to do anything
The technology is all available but it seems to be a bit of a secret
I don’t bother with other electricity use as that is minimal compared to heating … except for the car which is only charged at night. Or today between 13:00-14:00 when all my electricity is free