From STOP THESE THINGS
You can fool some of the people, some of the time. But Germany’s wind and sun cult are struggling to fool all of the people, for all time.
Slowly but surely, the average German is working out that they have been played for fools. As Charles MacKay observed: “Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, one by one.” And so it goes in Germany.
The economic and social costs of Germany’s grand wind and solar transition – aka the ‘Energiewende’ – have already taken their toll, with much worse to come. As Charles Rotter details in the first piece below.
However, in the second, Pierre Gosselin reports on the growing tide of anger and resentment being displayed by ordinary Germans who recognise that they’ve been taken for a ride.
Remarkably this mass movement is being led by a German noble, Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, once dubbed the ‘Punk Princess’ but who, now, is calling the grand green transition for what it is: an expensive failure.
Germany’s Costly Energy Conundrum: Poor Planning and Bad Choices, 1 Trillion Dollars Needed
Watts Up With That?
Charles Rotter
14 June 2023
Germany finds itself facing an astronomical challenge of plugging a massive power gap, one according to BloombergNEF that could cost the country over $1 trillion by 2030 . The urgency to address this energy crisis stems from a combination of factors, including the aftermath of the war in Ukraine and the dubious choice to transition away from nuclear and coal power plants. However, the predicament Germany now faces is largely a consequence of poor planning and inadequate foresight in the energy sector. As the nation scrambles to find solutions, it becomes evident that crucial opportunities were missed, poor decisions were made, and the costs of this oversight are now mounting.
Underestimating the Scope of the Challenge
One of the fundamental failures in Germany’s planning was underestimating the scale of the energy transition required. The political decision to phase out nuclear and coal power plants, coupled with increased demand from electric vehicles, heating systems, and economically suicidal climate commitments, has created an overwhelming demand for new generation and upgraded power grids. The sheer magnitude of the undertaking, requiring the installation of solar panels equivalent to 43 soccer fields and 1,600 heat pumps daily, indicates a severe lack of anticipation and preparedness.
Germany has set aside more than €260 billion ($275 billion) to deal with the immediate risks of an energy crisis triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine, but the ultimate fix will be much costlier — if the country can pull it off at all.
BASF SE‘s plans to cut 2,600 jobs as it faces strains from the energy crisis is a sign of the urgency. The chemical giant’s operations in Germany swung to a loss during the second half, and it’s now closing a number of energy-intensive factories, including two ammonia plants and related fertilizer facilities, resulting in 700 job cuts at its main Ludwigshafen site.
Lack of Clarity in Replacing Energy Sources
Germany’s dilemma is exacerbated by its unclear path for replacing phased-out energy sources. With nuclear and coal off the table, the country is heavily reliant on importing liquefied natural gas, which comes at a higher cost. The transition to electric cars, heat pumps, and hydrogen production further adds to the energy demand. Yet, there is a lack of concrete plans for generating electricity during periods of low renewable production. The reliance on future gas plants running on hydrogen faces significant hurdles, including a lack of willing investors, the reliance on nonexistent and potentially never existent technology, and the high costs involved, if those problems were to ever be solved.
Insufficient Investment and Unclear Regulations
The lack of funding and investment in the energy sector can be attributed to high market uncertainty and unclear regulations and, of course, the dubious prospects of profitability of intermittent wind and solar without major subsidies. These issues hamper the development of necessary infrastructure. Investors remain hesitant to commit to costly projects, leaving Germany in a state of flux. The need for clear regulations and financial incentives is essential to attract private sector participation at all.
Conclusion
Germany’s $1 trillion energy challenge serves as a stark reminder of the consequences that poor planning can have on a nation’s energy future. The failure to accurately anticipate the scope of the transition and the absence of a clear path to replace phased-out energy sources have created a significant hurdle. Addressing this crisis requires a comprehensive reassessment of energy policies, including rethinking some of the politically motivated retirement of nuclear power, enhanced investment in research and development, and the establishment of clear regulations and financial incentives. Germany must learn from its past oversights and rectify them swiftly to ensure a resilient energy future for the country. Time is of the essence.
Watts Up With That?
German Princess Gloria On Green New Deal: “Going To Be Worse Than Communist East Germany”!
No Tricks Zone
Pierre Gosselin
18 June 2023
Normally I don’t put much stock in European royalty and what they have to say. But when it comes to Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis of Germany, she has the unique ability to say what millions of people are thinking.
Germans rising up, turning out in masses to protest government’s outrageous energy proposals and policies
Recently she was interviewed as a guest on Youtube channel “Achtung, Reichelt!” where she spoke about the demonstration that had taken place in Erding last weekend (see image above). An estimated 13,000 people protested to protest the government’s heat pump madness. Normally when it comes to climate, getting even a hundred people to show up to protest against government policies would be quite a feat. But now as the economic pain sets in, there are real signs that the masses are finally beginning to wake up.
Princess Gloria told Achtung Reichelt: “Berlin is making policies against us citizens. But politicians are there for the people, not the other way around. Her verdict: “The transition to green energies has failed, failed, failed!”
Germans realizing they’ve been taken for a ride
When asked why the people are just now turning out to demonstrate, Gloria von Thurn und Taxis says they are being driven firstly by the fact that “everything has gotten more expensive” and that the people have realized they “have been taken for a ride.”
“Worse than communist East Germany”
“But climate change is a huge swindle. It’s a method of extracting money out of the people’s pockets, and they are supposed to feel good about it. The feeling good now ends at the end of the month when they see there’s no longer any buying power, when the restaurants close, when the airline trips can no longer be booked,” says Princess Gloria. “And what’s good is that the Greens have come out and been very open about this agenda: We may no longer travel, we should eat only certain things, we may not heat. It’s going to be worse than [communist] East Germany.”
“Before this is really put into place, we the people have the chance to rise up and to protest together, and foremost – very important – to go out and vote,” she adds.
No Tricks Zone
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