Germany’s green energy policy

Germany’s green energy policy

A single question about Germany, what energy does Germany use nowadays? Are they using the same energy as the United States of America or other countries? Nowadays, Germany is using wind power, the most important power used by them.

Before we discuss their single energy using at this moment, let’s how the German government announced their new ambitious energy targets by different years

– Renewable electricity: 35% (2020), 80% (2050)

– Renewable energy: 18 % (2020), 30% (2030), 60% (2050)

How does it sound to you?

Now, let’s discuss the main power that Germany is using nowadays:

-wind power: third largest user -> behind China and the U.S.

 

The following is the recent news about Renewable Energy Investment Attractiveness:

Let’s have a wild guess on Germany, the U.S., and China. Who ranks number 1? Number 2? Number 3?

Number 1: China, dropped 0.2 points from the last index in May, 70.2 points

Number 2: Germany (level with the U.S.), 66 points, huge investments in its offshore wind energy sector and solar sector is the reason behind

Number 3: the U.S. (level with Germany), 66 points, marginally leading Germany in the second spot in the renewable energy investment attractive index

Others: India (64.1 points), UK (55.3 points), France, Italy, Canada, Japan, and Brazil

Shocked? No feeling?

The government in Germany has delivered many successes for jobs in Renewable energy. This though establishes a level of performance which others have failed to achieve. For example, in spite of great effort, the Scottish National Party (SNP) Devolved Government on Scotland has still yet to gain extra Renewable Energy jobs, emulating German government success, in excess of those jobs which already existed when the SNP first took office in 2007.

German taxpayers have backed more than $130 billion in solar subsidies to date, contributing largely to rising electricity costs for households (second highest among European countries). But German businesses may be hit even harder.

Is it failing?

Germany has set higher targets for renewable energy usage than any other industrialized nation. Angela Merkel’s government plans to decommission its nuclear plants by 2022 and to obtain 80 percent of all energy from renewable by 2050. So far, though, too many promises from Berlin have gone unfulfilled.

Bad beginning -> broken promises -> unanswered questions -> a false start? Or is patience needed?

 

Germany’s Green Energy Policy Hit Households Hard

-Many people in Germany are no longer able to pay their electricity bills. Skyrocketing electricity prices are making electricity unaffordable for a large number of Germans.

– Real paradox: As a result of Germany’s green energy transition, nuclear power is on its way out, but coal, Germany’s dirtiest resource, has become the most important energy source again.

Wind farm and Germany renewable power