The energy crisis that is occurring all over our world is one of the greatest problems we are facing together.  From global warming to a guarantee that one day our fossil fuels will be running out, this is an issue that no country can afford to wait on.  Germany, as a highly devolved, populated, and powerful country, has realized in past years that changes need to be made now so they have enforced green energy policies. When researching Germany’s green energy problem, resolution, and so far development you encounter the overall issue with the energy crisis.  Germany has proven that this is an issue that needs to get addressed right now, due to how time sensitive it is, but it is also an issue where no clear-cut answer is given.  In the beginning stages, Germany’s new policies seemed very promising and great strides were made.  But just as with every new plan, there were downfalls that they could not predict would affect the success of the policies as much as they currently are.

Germany started their campaign and movement for green energy before many other European countries in the 2000’s when the Green Party entered the government. In 2009, according to an article posted in renewableenergyworld.com by Jane Burgermeister “Germany is accelerating its efforts to become the world’s first industrial power to use 100 percent renewable energy- and given that current momentum…could reach that green goal by 2050.”  That current momentum included research and development involving green energy as well as active strides to turn high government buildings such as the Reichstag in Berlin to be 100 percent renewable energy operated.  Germany’s plan relied heavily on energy efficiency as well as expansion.  They hoped to do the best they could but they also had the intention to do it as quickly as possible.  This might have contributed to their downfall because although the situation is time sensitive, doing something that could backfire might be worse than doing nothing.  But hope remained high in 2009 as citizens as well as the country’s renewable energy sector hoped the government as well as their plans would follow through.  As the director of Renewable Energy and Resources said “the technical capacity is available for the country to switch over to green energy, so it is a question of political will and the right regulatory framework.” One of the potential plans included the construction of a smart grid that would reduce the countries primary energy consumption by 28 percent from 13,842 peta-joules to 12,000 peta- joules in 13 years (Burgermeister). This plan, although somewhat affected by the recession occurring in the economic society at the time, hopes to bring down electricity demands as well as cost for energy imports.  To do this Germany will be taking advantage of wind energy due to their location on the North Sea, as well as bioenergy and hydropower.

But a few months later Spectrum.iee.org published an article written by Peter Fairley that criticized the very wind energy that Germany had hoped would account for 15 percent of their renewable energy.  Only 3 wind turbines had gone up, instead of the hundreds the “center left” political parties had discussed. This along with no change in greenhouse gas emission left the citizens and supporters of the green movement wondering where the momentum and plan had gone wrong. Although Germany was one of the most ‘go green’ type of countries the plan to change an entire country’s energy source is never easy and in late 2009 the plan seemed to be seriously slowed down.

The country seemed to be back on track in 2011 when a report released by Spiegel Online showed that the production of renewables in Germany was rapidly increasing.  The report stated: “According to…the German Association of Energy and Water Industries, renewables accounted for fully 20.8 percent of production during the first six months of 2011”.  This was a huge help to the plan that by 2022, Germany hoped to phase out all nuclear power.  Even Chancellor Merkel seemed to be doing her part as she closed 7 nuclear power plants in Germany, but due to other reasons as well.  Although wind power finally stepped up along with biomass and hydroelectric power it was the photovoltaic sector that was “up more than 76 percent since 2010”, as stated in the same article.  But this same year also saw the “first publicly traded solar-power company to file for bankruptcy in Germany” (thegwpf.org).  Cost of solar energy as well as electricity prices seemed to rising higher and higher along with tariffs to support all of this.  2011 was a perfect indicator that even when the plan seems to be working, things don’t always fall into place, and sometimes a country isn’t financially stable to support such drastic expensive changes so quickly.

To see how the green energy policy is doing today, we turn to The Prague Post that posted an article on January 16, 2013 titled “German Green- Energy push needs a rethink.”  Although the country continues with developments to go green such as a new 380 kilowatt east-west power circuit line that transmits wind energy, the cost and overall plan have been under critique.  From taxpayer’s have to pay for compensation when companies using green power need to shut down for fear of a black out to cities paying subsidies to local green energy producers, the expensive price cannot be ignored along with the fact that Germany still may not meet the same goals that it set for itself all those years ago.  Even if all of Germany is supportive of their plan, countries like the Czech Republic, which is on the same electricity grid, are being affected negatively.

The struggles that Germany is facing illuminates the overall energy crisis beautifully. It is a monstrous problem, which will not only be expensive, time consuming, and at times disappointing, but it must be something that we all do together.  One country cannot succeed alone.  Although Germany had fallbacks and even now is financially draining due to the high electricity rate price which, along with developmental issues, may prohibit the country from reaching their goals, we must admire that they are even trying.  Germany is choosing to move forward to fix this worldwide issue and it is time the rest of the world stepped in as well.

Sources

Burgermeister, Jane. “Germany: The Worlds First Major Renewable Energy Economy.” 3 April 2009. www.renewableenergyworld.com

Fairley, Peter. “Germany’s Green- Energy Gap.” July 2009. www.spectum.iee.org

“Germany’s Green Energy Fiasco.” 16 December 2011. www.thegwpf.org

Ottens Nick. “Region: German green energy push needs a rethink.” 16 January 2013. www.praguepost.com

Spiegel Online. “Crossing the 20 Percent Mark: Green Energy Use Jumps in Germany.” 30 August 2011. www.spiegel.de