Energiewende: Germany’s Green Efforts

Fossil energies including oil, coal, uranium and natural gas produce emissions that damage our climate, which make serious impacts on our world. As an alternative, renewable energies including solar energy, hydropower, geothermal energy and bioenergy are available as an effective and safe source. Germany is addressing this concern by shifting to a sustainable economy by implementing renewable energy also known as Energiewende. The ultimate goal of Energiewende is to put an end to the use of non-renewable energy sources.

As Germany recognizes the significance of using renewable energies to avoid climate-damaging emissions, this will be expanded as the main contributor of energy supply. At stated by law, the goals for Germany are as follows:

The share of renewable energies in total electricity consumption will be increased to at least 35% by 2020. By no later than 2050, that share is expected to grow to at least 80%. In 2020, the share of renewable energies in heating is to reach 14%.

These goals are seen to reinforce Germany’s lead on the global market for positive climate technologies. Below is a graph displaying renewable energy sources and their share of energy supply in Germany including their target growth for 2020.

There are several sources of renewable energy that Germany is implementing. As shown on the next graph below, in 2011 wind energy is the largest source of electricity supply. Germany believes that increasing the use of wind energy is particularly an important and a key technology for their future.

Although Energiewende is aiming to protect Germany’s climate, it is not protecting the pockets of German consumers. Those in Germany are already paying the highest electricity prices in Europe and the new energy policy is raising the prices. “Electricity is becoming a luxury good in Germany, and one of the country's most important future-oriented projects is acutely at risk.” This year consumers will pay €20 billion ($26 billion) for electricity from solar, wind and biogas plants.

Surprises also come with this electricity source. Depending on the weather and time of day, solar panels and wind turbines could generate large amounts of electricity that in result have to be shut down while at times electricity becomes scarce. On the occasion that wind stops blowing, oil and coal plants are activated to cover the discrepancy. This action released more damaging emissions in 2012 than in 2011.

The government is optimistic with the expansion of offshore wind farms. But the constructions of these wind farms are in a “state of chaos”. Wind turbines in the North Sea off the island of Borkum are rotating without any connection to the grid and fossil-fueled generators are powering them. The reason for this is to prevent any corroding to take place on the rotors from the salt in the air.

“Germany was the great green hope, promising to dispel the aura of impractical utopianism surrounding the renewable energy project by implementing it with fabled Prussian efficiency. Yet, instead of vindicating renewable energy, the mounting evidence from the German experiment spotlights its limitations: high costs, low and unreliable productivity, intractable problems with grid integration, a reliance on subsidies that impose bizarre and counterproductive distortions on energy markets, and an unbreakable dependency on the fossil fuels it is supposed to displace.”

Works Cited

"BMU - English - Renewable Energy: General Information." BMU - Herzlich willkommen auf der Internetseite des Bundesumweltministeriums. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2013. <http://www.bmu.de/en/topics/climate-energy/renewable-energy/general-information/>.

"Downloads." BMU - Herzlich willkommen auf der Internetseite des Bundesumweltministeriums. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2013. <http://www.bmu.de/en/topics/climate-energy/renewable-energy/downloads/>.

"German Green Energy Bluster Running Out Of Wind - Forbes." Information for the World's Business Leaders - Forbes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2013. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2013/08/13/german-green-energy-bluster-running-out-of-wind/>.

"High Costs and Errors of German Transition to Renewable Energy - SPIEGEL ONLINE." SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2013. <http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/high-costs-and-errors-of-german-transition-to-renewable-energy-a-920288.html>.

"The Breakthrough Institute - Germany's Green Energy Bust." The Breakthrough Institute - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2013. <http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/programs/energy-and-climate/germanys-green-energy-bust/>.