German energy 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

If Germany is wrecking a village in order to mine more coal (yesterday's post), then something has definitely gone wrong with their long-standing energy plan.

It's certain that no German originally intended this kind of thing. But regardless of the destruction of centuries-old buildings and the history of generations of the town's families, Lutzerath is one of the villages that must go so that the coal mine under it can expand.

One citizen puts it this way: 

“It’s such an absurd and catastrophic scenario that Germany, the country where everyone else thinks we have green [policies], is destroying a village to burn coal in the middle of the climate crisis.”

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from CNN

(cont'd tomorrow)

German energy 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

After years of "energiewende" (their plan to eliminate fossil fuels), Germany reduced the fossil fuel segment of their power from 84% in 2000 to 78% in 2019. For comparison, during the same years the U.S. reduced our reliance on fossil fuels from 86% to 80%.

Our results are similar, but we don't pay a similar price for it (as measured this month). Germans spend 4.89% of their average daily wages for a day's worth of electricity, while Americans spend only 1.24%. Our friends in Germany spend roughly twice as much of their income on power usage (average daily wages are different). 

Decades of government subsidies for wind turbines and a forced transition have not led to good results. Back in 2011, triggered by the Fukushima disaster, they decided to close all nuclear plants -- which emit no carbon.  That looks like a serious misstep. The disruption of natural gas, another low-emission fuel, due to Russia's war on Ukraine only made it all worse.

Policy mistakes have consequences. Now they're tearing down a village, Lutzerath, to make way for dirty coal mines because their wind/solar energy doesn't produce enough power. It's sad.

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German energy 1

A German village, Lutzerath, is being destroyed purposely. Police in riot gear are flooding it, tearing down structures, and forcibly removing people. 

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Residents were evicted in 2017. Then activists moved in to fight for the village. The government is going to turn it into . . a coal mine, of all things.

This is Germany, whose direction since 1980 is toward transitioning all its power sources to green energy. And, as you probably know, coal is the dirtiest of the fossil fuels. 

from CNN

(cont'd tomorrow)