Germany's decision to shut down its nuclear power plants is part of its plan to phase out nuclear power and achieve a green goal, with the country aiming to be carbon neutral by 2045.

The nuclear phaseout started over 20 years ago and was accelerated by the Fukushima disaster in 2011, with the plan being initiated by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and later changed by Angela Merkel.

The country's nuclear phaseout plan was set in motion in the 2000s, and Germany aimed to be non-nuclear by 2022, with nuclear power accounting for 10 percent of Germany's electricity production before the phaseout.

The security of supply in Germany remains guaranteed, according to the minister, despite the phaseout of nuclear power, but the Russian-Ukrainian war has affected Germany's energy plans.

The war has led to an energy crisis, with Germany keeping two nuclear plants on standby until mid-April 2023 as a precautionary measure, and the country is now relying on coal-fired power and renewable energy.

The German energy market is struggling to cope with the loss of nuclear power, with fossil fuel consumption increasing and clean electricity generation falling by 5.6% in the first nine months of 2023.

The country's industrial electricity demand has also fallen in 2023, and German chemical and fertilizer production has reached its lowest level in over a decade, with the phaseout of nuclear power leading to an increase in electricity prices.

The price of electricity in Germany is 160% higher than in 2019, and despite the challenges, Germany aims to be climate neutral by 2045 and plans to generate 80% of its electricity from renewables by 2030.

The country is also committed to abandoning coal by 2030 and switching from fossil fuels to renewables, but the nuclear phaseout debate remains ongoing, with some sectors of the population pushing to bring nuclear reactors back online.

However, the German government has maintained that the nuclear phaseout will not affect energy security, and the country is facing an energy shortage crisis, which may require reconsidering its energy policy.

The Russian-Ukrainian war has exposed Germany's energy dependence on Russia, with the country relying on Russia for half of its natural gas and coal, and a third of its oil, and Russia reducing gas shipments to Germany by 60% through the Nord Stream pipeline.

The war has severely impacted Germany's energy security, with the country's industry collapse possible due to Russian gas supply cuts, and entire industries at risk of permanent collapse due to gas shortages.

The German government is working to address soaring utility costs and social unrest, and has allocated 100 billion euros to upgrade its armaments and expand its military presence in the Baltic region.

The country is seeking alternative sources to Russian oil, gas, and coal, and is accelerating the development of renewable energy sources to reduce its dependence on Russia.

Germany has signed an energy cooperation agreement with Qatar, which will start LNG deliveries to Germany in 2024, and the country is also negotiating joint gas and renewable projects with Senegal, which has billions of cubic meters of gas reserves.

The German government has introduced "garbage detectives" to find waste to process into gas, which can help reduce dependence on Russian energy, and the country is considering keeping coal-fired power plants open longer for energy security.

However, this is not a long-term solution, and Germany's energy transition relies on increasing gas imports and renewable energy, but the country is exposed due to its heavy dependence on Russian energy.

The German government will offer assistance to consumers and businesses affected by the energy crisis, but there is no indication that sectors of the population are pushing to bring nuclear reactors back online.

Overall, Germany is working to reduce its dependence on Russian energy and is exploring alternative energy sources, including renewable energy, green hydrogen, and liquefied natural gas.

The country aims to produce 10 gigawatts of green hydrogen by 2030, with investments being made to promote climate protection and energy supply security, and the government has approved €900M for the green hydrogen project H2Global.

Germany targets 40-75 TWh clean hydrogen demand by 2030, with a total demand of 55 TWh currently, and the country plans to build 1,800 km of hydrogen pipelines by 2027/2028 and establish a 10,000 km hydrogen pipeline network by 2032.

The German government has adopted a new national hydrogen energy strategy, which includes investing 9 billion euros in hydrogen energy production and promoting multilateral cooperation on hydrogen energy.

The government has also issued guidelines for funding international hydrogen energy projects, which will help support the development of the global hydrogen market.

The development of green hydrogen is expected to play a central role in Germany's energy transition, with the country aiming to generate 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

The US Inflation Reduction Act may have a significant impact on Germany's renewable energy industry, with the Act providing billions of dollars for climate investments, but limiting subsidies to US-made products.

The German government is responding to this challenge by proposing a package of measures to support the country's green technology industry, including a potential €10 billion package.

Germany is also working with other European countries, such as France, to develop a joint response to the US Inflation Reduction Act, including calls for the EU to relax state aid rules for renewable energy investments.

The country's energy transition is facing challenges due to bureaucracy and populism, which may hinder the country's ability to transition to a low-carbon energy economy.

However, the government is committed to its energy transition goals and is working to address the challenges, including the development of better grids and the expansion of renewable energy infrastructure.

The government has finalized a nearly 100 billion euro energy bill subsidy plan to support households and businesses affected by the energy crisis, and has allocated over 260 billion euros to respond to the energy crisis.

Despite the challenges, Germany's energy transition is underway, with a focus on expanding the use of renewable energy sources and reducing the country's dependence on fossil fuels and nuclear power.

Germany's decision to shut down its nuclear power plants is part of its plan to phase out nuclear power and achieve a green goal, with the country aiming to be carbon neutral by 2045.

Title:

Content: Home / News / World /  Germany quits nuclear power; shuts final 3 plants
Back

Germany has shut its final three nuclear plants, marking the end of the country's end of nuclear era that has spanned more than 60 years.

Nuclear power has long been contentious in Germany.

The move has come as Germany's eyes achieve its green goal. Steffi Lemke, Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment and Consumer Protection and a Green Party member, "The position of the German government is clear: nuclear power is not green. Nor is it sustainable".

Closure of three nuclear plant's history:

Germany shut three plants-- Emsland, Isar 2, and Neckarwestheim, representing the culmination of a plan set in motion more than 20 years ago.

During the 1970s, a strong anti-nuclear movement emerged in Germany. The movement gave birth to the green party, which is now part of governing coalition.

However, it was in the 2000s the German government pledged to phase out nuclear power and start shutting down plants.

But in 2009, a new government came to power and it seemed brief as if nuclear would get a reprieve as a bridging technology to help the country move to renewable energy.

Then Fukushima happened. In 2011, an earthquake and tsunami caused three reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant to melt down.

Three days later then-Chancellor Angela Merkel who was previously pro-nuclear, announced Germany would accelerate a nuclear phase-out, with older plants shuttered immediately.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine provided another plot twist.

Germany isn’t the only country committed to walking away from nuclear — Italy gave up the technology in 1990, and Lithuania recently struck a deal to dismantle its Soviet-era reactors, which have sat idle for over a decade. But in many advanced economies, nuclear is experiencing a resurgence.

On Sunday, Finland will start regular power production at Europe’s newest and biggest reactor. The 1,600-megawatt Olkiluoto-3 unit that faced years of delays had been planned to enter commercial production on Monday. France is planning to build at least six new reactors by 2050 as well as experiment with smaller, modular ones. The UK has similar ambitions. And even in Japan, after a decade of paralysis following the nuclear accident in Fukushima, the public is warming up to the use of nuclear power. The Japanese government wants to restart reactors that have sat idle since the disaster and to extend the lifespan of existing units.

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Recommended For You
×
Get alerts on WhatsApp
Set Preferences My Reads Watchlist Feedback Redeem a Gift Card Logout

The nuclear phaseout started over 20 years ago and was accelerated by the Fukushima disaster in 2011, with the plan being initiated by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and later changed by Angela Merkel.

Title:

Content: 0
0
138
Germany shuts down three of its six remaining nuclear power plants
17: 00 31.12.2021 Source: Interfax
In Germany, on Friday, half of the six still operating nuclear power plants will shut down, according to the Associated Press.Then, according to the plan of the authorities, in another year it is planned to close the remaining three nuclear power plants and completely switch to other sources of energy.
The decision to phase out nuclear power was made in 2002 by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.
Then his successor, Angela Merkel, first came out in favor of still extending the life of the German nuclear power plant.
However, after the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011, Merkel changed her position and decided that in 2022 the country should complete the closure of all nuclear power plants.
The current government of Germany, headed by Olaf Scholz, left these plans in force.
Loading...
NEWS
16: 17 31.12.2021
On New Year's Eve in Moscow is expected heavy snowfall
0
166
15: 40 31.12.2021
The main goal is to improve well-being and quality of life - Putin
0
249
15: 30 31.12.2021
Russia and China may sign an agreement on the creation of a lunar base in 2022
0
276
15: 10 31.12.2021
The price of gas in Europe fell almost 3 times compared to the record last week
0
298
14: 05 31.12.2021
TOP-5 most mentioned in the Russian media persons of 2021 according to SCAN
0
332
12: 30 PM 31.12.2021
In Russia is preparing to register a new vaccine from COVID-19
0
403
11: 50 31.12.2021
In total, more than 308 thousand people died in Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic
0
411
11: 25 PM 31.12.2021
Died the elder brother of Patriarch Kirill Archpriest Nikolai Gundyaev
0
461
10: 23 AM 31.12.2021
Dmitry Muratov: I will never leave Russia. Nowhere.
I will not change citizenship.
0
616
10: 22 12 / 31 / 2021
Lavrov: The issue of official recognition of the Taliban authorities is premature
0
441
Return to list

The country's nuclear phaseout plan was set in motion in the 2000s, and Germany aimed to be non-nuclear by 2022, with nuclear power accounting for 10 percent of Germany's electricity production before the phaseout.

Title:

Content: Three nuclear-fired power plants will be taken off the grid in Germany on Friday as part of the country's plan to end atomic power.

"The nuclear phaseout makes our country safer and helps to avoid radioactive waste," said Federal Environment and Nuclear Safety Minister Steffi Lemke.

"It is now essential to ... advance the search for a final repository for high-level radioactive waste as well as permanent solutions for low- and medium-level radioactive waste," the environment ministry said.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel speeded up the phaseout following the 2011 Fukushima accident in Japan.

Friday's shutdown affects power plants in Brokdorf in Schleswig-Holstein, Grohnde in Lower Saxony and Gundremmingen C in Bavaria.

Germany's remaining three nuclear plants — Emsland in Lower Saxony, Isar 2 in Bavaria and Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Württemberg — will be closed by the end of 2022 "at the latest," the environment ministry said.

"Since 2011, Germany has been drawing a line under a highly problematic technology in an orderly, reliable process," Lemke said.

Nuclear accounts for about 10 percent of Germany's electricity production. The shutdown has sparked criticism as Germany will have to dramatically ramp up renewable energy and has also increased its reliance on highly polluting coal-fired power.

"Security of supply in Germany continues to be guaranteed," said Robert Habeck, federal climate and economy minister. He added that reliable and "sustainably generated electricity" is a "central requirement for aligning our economy and industry toward climate neutrality."

That stance puts Berlin at loggerheads with France, where nuclear is the largest element of its energy mix (and also helps supply Germany).

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said in September that existing nuclear plants, which provide low-carbon electricity essential to the green transition, can be kept running "for two, five, 10 years," adding: "Why deprive ourselves of this production capacity?"

France is planning to scale down the share of nuclear in its electricity mix from 75 percent to 50 percent by 2035, but President Emmanuel Macron said in November that France "will restart the construction of nuclear reactors" while "continuing to develop renewable energies."

Macron also said France will invest €1 billion into research and development, notably into small modular reactors.

Belgium recently decided to shut down all its nuclear power plants by 2025, but plans to invest €100 million in new generation nuclear reactors and research.

More from ... Louise Guillot

Title:

Content: ● Talk from the beginning
In October 1973, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, led by Saudi Arabia, imposed a embargo on countries supporting Israel with oil as a weapon. The embargo lasted until March 1974, when the global price of oil rose by nearly 300%, from $3 per barrel to nearly $12.
Recognizing the importance of stable energy supply and price, many countries have begun to develop nuclear power.
In that era, the development of nuclear energy in Germany and France went hand in hand. Both countries imported nuclear power technology from the United States, and both established independent nuclear power industries.
In 1979, the Three Mile Island accident in the United States did not change the Social Democratic Party's support for nuclear energy in Germany at the time, and then the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Russia caused a major impact on Germany's nuclear energy policy. In August 1986, the Social Democratic Party passed a bill to abandon nuclear power within 10 years, Germany terminated the development plan for new reactors, and power companies dared not plan to build a nuclear power plant. Merchants.
Overall, the passage of the Act did not affect the operation of the nuclear power plants in transit in Germany, with a capacity of 20,339 and 20,583,000 megawatts in 23 years from 1986 to 2009, and a further 22.9 million megawatts in 1989.
In other words, the ruling party in Germany recognized the importance of nuclear power to the country ’ s economic development and did not implement the nuclear abolition bill hastily passed in August 1986 under the anti-nuclear passion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in Russia.
Obviously, the non-nuclear file, can only say, can not be done.
Non-nuclear weapons are a bargaining chip for political power
In October 1998, the Social Democratic Party and the Green Party organized a joint government and began to discuss a non-nuclear timetable with power companies. The Green Party, a small party with ideological leadership and national recognition of only 6.7%, changed the national energy policy through the power to gain the leadership of energy policies that are closely related to national security.
The assumption of power by political parties recognized by more people is the basic tenet of the operation of democratic politics.
When, in order to gain political power, different political parties used coalitions to lead to the opinions of the minority and hostage the understanding of the majority, is this the normal state of democratic politics?
Ridiculous, even more pathetic!
After numerous and varied threats, the coalition government and the power companies reached an agreement in late 2000.
The key point of the agreement is that the government will allow the units in operation at the time to continue operating until the cumulative generation of 2,623 billion kWh, equivalent to an average useful life of the units of 32 years (the power company originally expected 36 years), and that Germany will be non-nuclear by 2022.
The government is committed to ensuring the smooth operation of the nuclear power plant and the disposal of nuclear waste without political interference. In June 2001, the “Red Green ” coalition government signed an agreement with four power companies.
The agreement clearly stipulates that Germany will no longer build nuclear power plants and allow the temporary storage of used nuclear fuel at the site.
Based on the cap on nuclear power generation, a less cost-effective unit was stopped in 2003 and 2005, with a installed capacity of 640,000 MW and 340,000 MW, respectively, and it operated for 31 and 36 years.
In addition, a unit with a capacity of 1.22 million megawatts was built in 1986 on the banks of the Rhine. The unit was discontinued in 1988 due to anti-nuclear protests, and its power company abandoned the unit in 2003 to begin decommissioning work. Two units with a capacity of 771,000 megawatts and 1.26 million megawatts were suspended in 2007 and 2009, respectively, for 30 years and 25 years.
These two units are boiling water reactors, which are different from the mainstream pressurized water reactors in Germany.
Germany ’ s non-nuclear decision in 2000 was a pragmatic compromise that quelled the protests of anti-nuclear groups, kept the plant running smoothly, and provided the government with enough time to think about national energy policy.
An industrial leader reminded the government that reliable and affordable energy is an important part of Germany ’ s economic policy.
Opposition leaders in Congress said there was a chance they would change the decision.
The expectation of power companies is to increase the average operating year of all nuclear power units from 32 to 40 years, and then to 60 years depending on the situation of individual units.
● New opportunities brought about by the change
In September 2009, the new coalition government of the Christian Democrats and the Liberal Party announced plans to withdraw the "non-nuclear policy".
At this time, Germany still has 17 operational nuclear power units, but one is in a long-term state of decommissioning.
If all the units can be extended from the original agreed 32 years of operation to 60 years, it is estimated that the additional profit of the power company will be 100 billion euros, and the government must take a share, let alone 50 billion euros.
Financial negotiations took a year to complete.
The new nuclear policy allows for 40 years of operation (an additional 8 years) for units that were negotiated before 1980, and 14 years for units that were negotiated after 1980.
The government pays dividends on the extension of nuclear power plants to the national treasury under various taxes, donations and surcharges.
For example, the tax on nuclear fuel based on the weight of nuclear fuel used is increased to 2.3 billion euros per year, equivalent to 0.016 euros per kilowatt-hour.
In order to supplement the development of renewable energy, we will provide 300 million euros each in 2011 and 2012, 200 million euros each from 2013 to 2016, and 0.009 euros per nuclear power generation after 2016. The funds will also fund a recovery plan for a waste salt mine that is disposed of from nuclear waste.
Germany ’ s policy of abandoning nuclear energy has officially turned a corner.
• Planning does not change
On March 15, 2011, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that the new nuclear energy policy adopted only four months ago was suspended for three months. At the same time, seven units that had been negotiated before 1980 were immediately shut down. This represents a decrease of 8,336 MW, or 6.4% of the total installed capacity.
In May 2011, the German regulatory authority issued a statement saying that after various assessments, all German nuclear power units are in good condition and there are no concerns about their safety.
Despite this, the German government announced on May 30 that under pressure from anti-nuclear local governments, it will return to its original non-nuclear policy and close all nuclear power plants by 2022. At the end of June and July 8, the German House of Representatives and the Senate respectively passed decrees to expand wind power generation in response to the shutdown of nuclear power plants, while agreeing to build coal-fired power plants and gas plants without changing carbon reduction targets.
In order to solve the problem of insufficient baseload power after the nuclear power plant is stopped, electricity will be imported from France, Russia and Poland.
It ’ s all about non-nuclear policy.
Some nuclear power plants have been forced to shut down, but the nuclear power plants that continue to operate still have to pay various heavy taxes according to the 2011 revision of the Atomic Energy Law. Tax rebates of €6.3 billion between 2011 and 2016 and the suspension of tax on nuclear fuel.
The nuclear fuel tax was abolished at the end of 2016. In order to avoid the nuclear fuel tax, the fuel exchange time of five German units was postponed to January 2017, and a total of 8 billion kWh of power generation was lost from mid-December to the end of February 2016.
After 10 years of litigation, the government reached a settlement with four power companies for a total amount of 4.8 billion euros.
This amount of money is the most direct price of policy repetition.
In response to nuclear waste, in order to maintain a stable power supply, the huge investment in power generation and transmission systems is a heavier burden on society.
In May 2011, the German power grid department warned that the closure of nuclear power plants will lead to insufficient baseload power generation capacity, and renewable energy generation facilities are scattered, and renewable energy rich areas and power consumption areas are at a distance, requiring transmission networks.
The lack of power transmission capacity will make the grid fragile and unreliable, and the stability of the grid is facing great challenges. In May 2012, Germany announced a 10-year plan to expand and strengthen the grid, with a total of 26 transmission projects, with a total investment of 10 billion euros.
Germany calls the policy of increasing the proportion of renewable energy generation and phasing out nuclear energy as Energiewende (energytransition), an appropriate translation is also our slogan, "energy transition"!
For the public, the direct cost of the energy transition is that household electricity prices are the second highest in Europe and the highest in Denmark.
According to statistics, in December 2021, the price of domestic electricity in Germany was 80% higher than that of France.
Electricity prices in Germany
The electricity market in Germany is completely liberalized, and power companies sell electricity generated by various forms of electricity generation in the wholesale market. The price of electricity in the wholesale market is open information, which allows power companies to obtain electricity from the wholesale market and transmit it to consumers through the electricity network.
Taxes paid by different types of consumers are also different.
Due to various measures to reward renewable energy, distorting the market mechanism, the German wholesale electricity price is lower than other countries, and sometimes even negative, 298 hours of wholesale electricity price is negative in 2019 and 139 hours in 2021.
The average wholesale price of electricity in the German electricity market is 0.03767 euros / kWh in 2019, 0.03047 euros / kWh in 2020, and 0.09685 euros / kWh in 2021. The average price in the first half of the year is 0.054 euros / kWh, rising to 0.1380 euros / kWh in the second half of the year.
As shown in the attached figure, the Russian-Ukrainian war caused a surge in gas prices, which had a huge impact on electricity prices in Germany; in July 2022, the high price of 0.3153 euros per degree was 6.4 times that of January 2019!
The price of electricity for domestic or small commercial use in Germany is very high.
Look at the price structure of electricity for German households.
Germany ’ s household electricity price in 2006 was 0.1946 euros per kWh. It rose to 0.3216 euros per kWh in 2021, and has reached 0.3714 euros in 2022. In 2021, more than half of Germany ’ s household and small business electricity price burden came from additional taxes or fees due to energy policies. 16% is a sales tax, 20% of the renewable energy surcharge is paid to the renewable energy industry, 6% of the electricity tax (also known as the ecological tax), and there are three smaller surcharges.
If so, why not in the first place?
In 2010, Germany had 17 nuclear power units with a total installed capacity of more than 20 million megawatts, accounting for about 15% of the total installed capacity. In 2010, the total generation capacity was 133 billion kWh, accounting for about 25% of the total generation capacity. At the end of 2011, there were 9 nuclear power units with a total installed capacity of 12 million megawatts.
Compared to 1990, the total installed capacity was 1.3 times, but the power generation increased by only 11%.
Wind and photovoltaics account for nearly half of the installed capacity, but only 28% of the generation.
Nuclear power plant capacity accounted for only 4.1%, but power generation accounted for 12.4%. In 2021, three nuclear power units were shut down, and there are only three units in operation, with a total installed capacity of 4.055 million megawatts, accounting for less than 2%, and the total power generation may be about 6%. Can the economy afford to shut down the remaining three nuclear plants in 2022?
According to a news report on August 18, "Germany is facing an energy shortage crisis this winter and has planned to delay the closure of the country's last three nuclear power plants."
The decision has not yet been formally adopted by Prime Minister Bernard Shaw and may need to be passed by parliament. Details are still being discussed and a cabinet resolution will have to wait weeks for an energy demand assessment to come out, but officials believe the results are already known, according to three officials.
According to online data, Germany has eight decommissioned units that have not been in service for 40 years, and if the international consensus is that nuclear power units can be used for at least 60 years, the extension of these units can significantly reduce the dependence on imported natural gas.
It remains to be seen whether the shift in German nuclear policy will extend to these eight units.
● Other Mountain Stone
Looking at Taiwan ’ s electricity situation, the schedule summarizes Taiwan ’ s electricity data for 2019 and 2021, which can be compared with Germany ’ s data for 2019. Germany ’ s total installed capacity and total power generation in 2019 are 4.1 times and 2.2 times that of Taiwan, respectively.
The average capacity factor for electrical equipment in Germany is 30% and in Taiwan it is 56%.
Renewable energy cannot generate electricity all the time, and when the installed capacity is large, the average capacity factor will be low.
But there are other factors, in 2019, Germany ’ s natural gas installation capacity of 46 million megawatts, generating 90.8 billion kWh; Taiwan is 17.57 million megawatts and 91.2 billion kWh; the installed capacity is only 38% of Germany ’ s, but the power generation is equivalent.
Germany ’ s electricity grid is part of the European continent ’ s electricity grid, and data can be found on the network. In 2020, Germany exported 66.39 billion kWh of electricity and imported 48.05 billion kWh. About 20% of Germany ’ s domestic electricity production is exchanged with other countries.
If the exchange is not possible, it is necessary to abandon electricity when the amount of renewable energy generation exceeds the amount of electricity used or the capacity of the grid; when the renewable energy generation is insufficient, more dispatchable units are needed.
Renewable energy generation must be coupled with a power generation facility that can be scheduled, so that the power grid can be stable.
When the capacity of renewable energy installations is large, the capacity of the installations with the power generation facilities that can be adjusted will also increase.
The average capacity factor of German natural gas units is only 15%.
In other words, Germany ’ s natural gas unit is idle 85% of the time, isn ’ t that the cost of renewable energy?
When renewable energy must have a total installed capacity of 12.7 million megawatts (54.8%) of renewable energy (wind, light, water, and waste) with a capacity of 255.1 billion kWh (41.9%); the installed capacity is 16.3 times that of Taiwan ’ s 7.8 million megawatts in 2019, and the power generation capacity is 16.8 times that of Taiwan ’ s share is only 5.6%. Degrees.
From the number of renewable energy generation, Taiwan really can not be compared with Germany, but can we really develop to the realm of Germany?
Germany ’ s territory covers an area of 357,622 square kilometers, 9.9 times Taiwan ’ s 35,980 square kilometers.
Simply estimate the amount of renewable energy generated per square kilometer of land in Germany is only 1.7 times that of Taiwan.
In other words, if Taiwan ’ s renewable energy development can be as good as Germany ’ s, our renewable energy generation capacity can be doubled again! Is that enough? What does the rest rely on? Petrified fuels? Taiwan ’ s use of fossil fuels for power generation is 82.0% in 2019 and 83.3% in 2021. What should we do about the reduction of greenhouse gases? Energy can be developed, hydrogen is an energy carrier, not energy, that is, hydrogen production still depends on other sources of energy.
The Germans can ’ t take the risk, we don ’ t see it.
Germany's nuclear energy policy is all caused by natural gas, on the one hand, the source is cut off, on the other hand, the natural gas shortage caused by the soaring price of fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels account for 46.3% of Germany ’ s electricity generation, and the rise in wholesale electricity prices has been alarming. The German government has revised its nuclear energy policy once again in order to spread the risk of excessive reliance on natural gas.
In Taiwan, fossil fuel power generation accounted for 83.3% in 2021, can the impact on electricity prices be lighter than in Germany?
You can't see that Taiwan Power Company is expected to have a loss of 200 billion yuan this year, and CNOOC is also in the tens of billions!
The government is afraid to adjust the price of electricity and natural gas for fear of affecting the election.
A few days ago, the media reported that the government has compiled a budget to directly eliminate the deficit.
Do they still have the law in their eyes?
If the government respects the results of the 2018 referendum on nuclear and green energy, and four years ago it began to promote the renewal of the licenses of the four nuclear companies to transfer and operate China's power plants, Taiwan will pay a lot less in this wave of soaring fossil fuel prices.
A while ago, the military exercise across the strait, it can be seen that it is rehearsing to block Taiwan, if it is really blocked in the future, our natural gas stocks can stand for a few days! Our government seems to be old in the ground is not proper, still clinging to the god of the non-nuclear homeland, refusing to open their eyes to see the latest international energy trends.
After Germany abandoned its non-nuclear policy, the only countries in the world that have used nuclear energy, only Taiwan has a non-nuclear timetable, China, the United States, France, Japan, South Korea and India, etc., are building or planning new nuclear power plants.
The Taiwanese government should wake up.
Those who pretend to sleep cannot wake up, so let us spit on those who stand in line with those who pretend to sleep!
With the election looming, let ’ s ask the candidates whether they support nuclear power?
If not, ask him to tell you where Taiwan's energy policy should go, how Taiwan meets the requirements of international carbon reduction, what to do when Taiwan is short of power, and who pays when electricity prices surge? (The author is a Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Systems Science, National Tsing Hua University)
※ The above statements do not represent the position of Wangzhong Media Group ※
# Germany # Unit # Electricity # Euro # Nuclear

The security of supply in Germany remains guaranteed, according to the minister, despite the phaseout of nuclear power, but the Russian-Ukrainian war has affected Germany's energy plans.

Title:

Content: Germany says two nuclear plants will remain on standby until mid-April 2023
World News
Copy Link https: / / www.rt.com / tqy1
Germany said on Monday it would keep two nuclear plants on standby beyond the end of the year in a political shift as a cut in Russian gas supplies threatens Europe with an energy crisis.
Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a speech that following a new grid stress test, two of the remaining three power plants “will remain available until mid-April 2023 if needed, ” partially delaying a planned nuclear exit under former Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Source: AFP
Agree.
This website uses cookies. You can read the terms of use to activate this feature by clicking here

The war has led to an energy crisis, with Germany keeping two nuclear plants on standby until mid-April 2023 as a precautionary measure, and the country is now relying on coal-fired power and renewable energy.

The German energy market is struggling to cope with the loss of nuclear power, with fossil fuel consumption increasing and clean electricity generation falling by 5.6% in the first nine months of 2023.

Title:

Content: In early 2023, Germany shut down its last nuclear power plants, so this winter will be Germany ’ s first “nuclear-free winter ”. Despite the German government ’ s vow to modernize its energy system and develop renewable energy, Germany ’ s fossil fuel consumption is higher and its power system is dirtier.
Commenting on Germany ’ s electricity problem, Reuters columnist Gavin Maguire wrote that the country ’ s electricity problem began with a gradual decline in the share of nuclear power in Germany ’ s power generation structure. In 2014, the contribution of nuclear power to Germany ’ s total electricity supply fell by only 6% in 2022, and finally dropped to zero after the last eight reactor outages in 2023.
According to the think tank Ember, Germany's last eight nuclear reactors generated about 8.1 gigawatts (8,000 megawatts) of electricity, a gap that was filled by solar and wind capacity.
It seems to be okay.
However, as solar power (Germany ’ s second largest clean power after wind) suffers from reduced sunlight this year, power generation will fall sharply this winter, and the total amount of clean electricity in Germany will also decline, but winter has always been Europe ’ s peak electricity consumption (heating demand), so German power producers are forced to increase the amount of electricity generated from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. of emissions.
According to the data, in the first nine months of 2023, Germany ’ s total electricity generation fell compared to last year, including clean electricity and fossil energy power; clean electricity fell by 5.6% compared to the same period in 2022, and fossil fuel power generation fell by 21%.
In other words, this year has been the most electricity efficient year in Germany since 2017.
But don ’ t think that ’ s a good thing, because Germany ’ s industrial electricity demand has fallen this year, and the economy has certainly followed suit.
Why is that so?
Data from the London Stock Exchange shows that the high price of electricity in Germany is a key factor. Compared to 2019, the price of electricity in Germany is 160% higher this year, although it is much better than the highest price last year (electricity prices soared last year due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, this year has fallen), but the German industry is still unwilling to pay.
According to data from the London Stock Exchange (LSEG), German chemical and fertilizer production (previously produced using abundant and cheap natural gas) has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade in 2023 as producers cut production.
Production of cars, steel, batteries and turbines has also been cut, causing Germany, Europe ’ s largest economy, to experience a rare export slump this year.
In order to support the German industrial recovery, the German government asked the power companies to suppress the cost of electricity, and actively increase the production of cheap renewable energy, did get some results, but after entering the autumn, the sunshine time reduced, Germany September to December's total solar power, must be more than 80% lower than the peak.
Since solar power has accounted for more than 20% of Germany ’ s total electricity generation each month in the past five months, such a serious decline in clean power production will inevitably lead to a tight overall electricity supply; in order to make up for the shortage of solar power, Germany can only maximize the use of wind power, wind power production in Germany will increase in winter.
In order to supplement the intermittent problem of wind power and ensure that the total generation of electricity rises as demand grows, power companies have to increase the generation of coal and gas, which can be controlled by power plants to balance the needs of the national electricity market.
Speaking of which, it is clear that Germany will have to rely more on fossil fuels to generate electricity, and its carbon emissions will inevitably increase.
In order to determine its ideal of a non-nuclear homeland, Germany has caused more pollution, and the cost of electricity is still high, which has hit the German industry.
In August of this year, economists criticized "Germany's economic recession is already the sick man of Europe", which is all related to the abandonment of nuclear power.
German power mix may get dirtier for 1st non-nuclear winter
# Germany # Electricity # Dirty # Carbon # Solar

The country's industrial electricity demand has also fallen in 2023, and German chemical and fertilizer production has reached its lowest level in over a decade, with the phaseout of nuclear power leading to an increase in electricity prices.

The price of electricity in Germany is 160% higher than in 2019, and despite the challenges, Germany aims to be climate neutral by 2045 and plans to generate 80% of its electricity from renewables by 2030.

Title:

Content: Germany on Friday shut down three of the six nuclear power plants that were still in operation.
Three closed reactors were first put into operation in the mid-1980s, reports AP News.
Together, they provided electricity to millions of German families for nearly four decades.
One of the stations, Brockdorf, is located 40 kilometers northwest of Hamburg on the Elbe River.
It became the center of anti-nuclear protests sparked by the Chernobyl disaster of 1986.
The other two are Gronde, 40 kilometers south of Hanover, and Gundremmingen, 80 kilometers west of Munich.
The German government said this week that the decommissioning of all nuclear power plants next year and the subsequent abandonment of coal by 2030 will not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
According to the Fraunhofer Institute, renewable energy provided almost 46% of Germany ’ s electricity generation in 2021.
Coal accounted for more than 51% and nuclear energy for more than 13%.
The decision to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewables was first made by Gerhard Schröder ’ s center-left government in 2002.
His successor, Angela Merkel, has set 2022 as the deadline for the plant ’ s closure.
Earlier, in December 2019, the Philipsburg nuclear power plant, one of the seven nuclear power plants operating at that time, was shut down in Germany.
You may also be interested in news:

The country is also committed to abandoning coal by 2030 and switching from fossil fuels to renewables, but the nuclear phaseout debate remains ongoing, with some sectors of the population pushing to bring nuclear reactors back online.

Title:

Content: Log in
Or log in with
Google
Twitter
Facebook
Apple
Sign up
Or log in with
Google
Twitter
Facebook
Apple

TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY HOLDINGS, INC.

(9501)
  Report
Delayed Japan Exchange  -  12:01:00 2023-04-17 am EDT
490.00 JPY   -1.41%
04/16Greenway Grid Global Pte. Ltd. & Tepco Power Grid, Inc. : the Sale of "Electric Power Asset NFT (Transmission Tower NFT Card, Utility Pole NFT Card)"
BU
04/16Germany's last nuclear reactors shut down - But the debate remains
DP
04/16Historic nuclear phase-out completed - but problems not yet solved
DP
SummaryQuotesChartsNewsRatingsCalendarCompanyFinancialsConsensusRevisionsFunds
SummaryMost relevantAll NewsAnalyst Reco.Other languagesPress ReleasesOfficial PublicationsSector newsMarketScreener Strategies

Greenway Grid Global Pte. Ltd. & TEPCO Power Grid, Inc.: the Sale of "Electric Power Asset NFT (Transmission Tower NFT Card, Utility Pole NFT Card)"

04/16/2023 | 10:31pm EDT

~ Venturing into the world of WEB 3.0 ~

Greenway Grid Global Pte. Ltd. (Headquarters: Singapore, President: Kazuhiko Shiba; hereinafter referred to as, "GGG") and Tokyo Electric Power Grid Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President/CEO: Yoshinori Kaneko; hereinafter referred as, "TEPCO PG") are pleased to announce the sale of "Electric Power Asset NFT" on their websites starting on Monday, April 3, 2023. The NFTs are pictures of TEPCO PG power assets, such as transmission towers and utility poles, that have been digitalized using NFT technology*1.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230413005884/en/

Utility pole NFT card (Numa 218) (Graphic: Business Wire)

The global NFT market is said to be worth trillions yen, and the domestic market is expected to grow from several tens of billions yen to hundreds of billions yen by 2030.

GGG sees this as an opportunity to embrace the expanding Web3.0*2 trend and produce and sell "Electric Power Asset NFT (Transmission Tower NFT Cards, Utility Pole NFT Cards)" that are based on TEPCO PG's "Transmission Tower Card", which has been primarily used for recruitment purposes. Furthermore, we plan to collaborate with DEA*3, which has experience with, and WEB3.0 technical prowess that it has cultivated through, NFT gaming and the NFT market, in order to explore new ways to add value beyond mere ownership of the "Electric Power Asset NFT."*4

In producing the electric power asset NFT, TEPCO PG provides photos of facilities that harmonize with the scenery and the stories of each asset from among the electric power assets that TEPCO PG owns, which stretch from the cities to the mountains, thereby conveying the appeal of its electric power assets and supporting recruitment and other activities throughout the power industry.

*1 Non-Fungible Token (NFT). NFT uses blockchain technology to create unique digital assets.
*2 WEB3.0 is an "economy that creates, holds, and exchanges value using tokens, such as cryptocurrency, on the blockchain". Source: Web3.0 (METI/Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)
*3 DEA (Digital Entertainment Asset Pte. Ltd.). Since its launch on 26th May 2020, the NFT game platform "PlayMining" has gained over 2.7 million users in over 100 countries. DEAPcoin is Japan's first Play-to-Earn token, and "PlayMining" is the world's first Play-to-Earn token economy, leading the world's GameFi field.
*4 Signing of a MOU with Digital Entertainment Asset Pte. Ltd. for consideration of a Sustainable Social Contribution Game Utilizing “Electric Power Asset NFT”
https://www.greenwaygrid.global/signing_of_mou_with_dea/

Please see the below attachment for an overview of “Electric Power Asset NFT (Transmission Tower and Utility Pole NFT Cards)” and the method of sale.

Overview and method of sale of
“Electric Power asset NFT (Transmission Tower and Utility Pole NFT cards)”

1. Card type and price

(Transmission Tower NFT card)

  • S rank (1 type x 5 sheets): 100,000 yen/1 sheet (tax included)
  • A rank (2 types x 10 sheets): 30,000 yen/1 sheet (tax included)
  • B rank (2 types x 10 sheets): 10,000 yen/1 sheet (tax included)
  • C rank (5 types x 20 sheets): 3,000 yen/1 sheet (tax included)

(Utility pole NFT card)

  • S rank (1 type x 5 sheets): 100,000 yen/1 sheet (tax included)
  • A rank (2 types x 10 sheets): 30,000 yen/1 sheet (tax included)
  • B rank (2 types x 10 sheets): 10,000 yen/1 sheet (tax included)
  • C rank (5 types x 20 sheets): 3,000 yen/1 sheet (tax included)

2. Sales Volume

10 types of Transmission Tower NFT card, 10 types of Utility pole NFT card, 290 sheets in total

3. Sales period

April 3 to 30, 2023
*Sales start at 9:00 (JST) on April 3 (Monday)

4. Sales

Sold at the following internet site
https://nft.hexanft.com/en/users/g1mRrrU3HXQTDP?collection=%E3%80%90%E9%9B%BB%E6%9F%B1%E3%80%91%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AFS

5. Benefits

If you purchase one or more NFT from each rank (S to C), you will receive a “Premium Electric Power Asset NFT”. (See the URL above for details)

6. Production Involvement

Production: Greenway Grid Global. Pte. Ltd.
Sponsored by: Transmission Line Construction Technology Study Group
Photo: TEPCO Power Grid, Inc.
Supported by: Digital Entertainment Asset Pte. Ltd

© Business Wire 2023
All news about TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY HOLDINGS, INC.
04/16Greenway Grid Global Pte. Ltd. & Tep : the Sale of "Electric Power Asset NFT (Transmission..
BU
04/16Germany's last nuclear reactors shut down - But the debate remains
DP
04/16Historic nuclear phase-out completed - but problems not yet solved
DP
04/15As Germany ends nuclear era activist says still more to do
RE
04/15End of the nuclear power era in Germany - Last reactors to be taken off the grid
DP
04/15Atomic 'angst' over? Germany closes last nuclear plants
RE
04/14Atomic 'angst' over? Germany closes last nuclear plants
RE
04/12Struggle over nuclear power until the last minute - FDP wants nuclear power reserve
DP
04/12Explainer-Why a clean energy transition is so important to G7 chair Japan
RE
04/10Japan's three megabanks to face votes on climate change - sources
RE
More news
Analyst Recommendations on TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY HOLDINGS, INC.
More recommendations
Financials
Sales 2023 7 211 B 53 935 M 53 935 M
Net income 2023 -115 300 M -862 M -862 M
Net Debt 2023 - - -
P/E ratio 2023 -6,91x
Yield 2023 -
Capitalization 796 B 5 956 M 5 956 M
Capi. / Sales 2023 0,11x
Capi. / Sales 2024 0,11x
Nbr of Employees 37 939
Free-Float 92,8%
Chart TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY HOLDINGS, INC.
Duration : Period :
Full-screen chart
Technical analysis trends TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY HOLDINGS, INC.
Short TermMid-TermLong Term
TrendsBullishNeutralBearish
Income Statement Evolution
Consensus
Sell
Buy
Mean consensus SELL
Number of Analysts 2
Last Close Price 497,00 JPY
Average target price 325,00 JPY
Spread / Average Target -34,6%
EPS Revisions
Managers and Directors
Tomoaki Kobayakawa Executive President & Director
Yoshimitsu Kobayashi Chairman
Hideko Kunii Independent Director
Hideo Takaura Independent Outside Director
Shigeo Ohyagi Independent Outside Director
Sector and Competitors
1st jan.Capi. (M$)
TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY HOLDINGS, INC.4.41%5 956
NEXTERA ENERGY-6.67%157 864
IBERDROLA, S.A.4.89%79 353
SOUTHERN COMPANY1.47%78 452
DUKE ENERGY CORPORATION-3.74%75 246
ENEL S.P.A.13.48%63 740
1 MarketScreener is worth more than 1000 Influencers!
100% Free Registration

However, the German government has maintained that the nuclear phaseout will not affect energy security, and the country is facing an energy shortage crisis, which may require reconsidering its energy policy.

The Russian-Ukrainian war has exposed Germany's energy dependence on Russia, with the country relying on Russia for half of its natural gas and coal, and a third of its oil, and Russia reducing gas shipments to Germany by 60% through the Nord Stream pipeline.

Title:

Content: Russia continues to invade Ukraine, Western countries have imposed sanctions, Russia claims that sanctions hinder maintenance, resulting in a slowdown in natural gas supply, detonating the European energy crisis.
Germany ’ s top industry could collapse as a result of Russia ’ s cuts in gas supplies, the country ’ s top trade union leader warned ahead of crisis talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Yasmin Fahimi, head of the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB), said in an interview that due to the tight supply of natural gas, including aluminum, glass and chemical industries, the entire industry is in danger of permanent collapse, which has a major impact on the entire economy and employment in Germany.
Yasmin Fahimi stressed that the energy crisis has pushed inflation to record highs and could lead to further social and labor unrest.
German Economy Minister Robert Halbek said the government was working to address the soaring costs faced by utilities and their customers, and he had warned in the past that the tightening of Russian gas supplies could lead to social unrest in Germany.
It is worth noting that Russia has reduced gas shipments through the Nord Stream pipeline by 60% and plans to shut it down for maintenance this month.
Germany has expressed doubts about whether the pipeline will resume supply later.
Reuters previously reported that energy supply has become the core of Russia ’ s economic wrangling with the West. Before the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the EU ’ s natural gas demand depended on Russian supply for 40%, and Germany ’ s dependence was as high as 55%.
The Federal Federation of German Industries (BDI) has cut its forecast for German economic growth this year to 1.5% from 3.5% before the war, stressing that Europe ’ s largest economy will not be able to avoid a recession if Russia stops gas supplies altogether.
# Germany # Russia # Natural Gas # Europe

Title:

Content: Germany seeks to end energy dependence on Russia
March 23, 2022 20: 47
Eastern Network Television
More News Clips
(Photo by Getty Images)
Germany is pushing to find alternative sources of Russian oil, gas and coal, and is ready to offer more assistance to consumers and businesses struggling to cope with high energy prices.
Russia ’ s war on Ukraine has exposed Germany ’ s heavy dependence on Russian energy sources, including about half of its natural gas and coal, and about a third of its oil, which comes from Russia.
As Germany is moving away from nuclear and coal power, while trying to accelerate the development of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, the country ’ s energy dependence is even more exposed.
Germany ’ s prime minister said the country ’ s dependence on Russia for oil, coal and natural gas has been increasing over the past few decades and will end it as soon as possible.

The war has severely impacted Germany's energy security, with the country's industry collapse possible due to Russian gas supply cuts, and entire industries at risk of permanent collapse due to gas shortages.

The German government is working to address soaring utility costs and social unrest, and has allocated 100 billion euros to upgrade its armaments and expand its military presence in the Baltic region.

Title:

Content: Germany / Ukraine / Russia
Russia ’ s peace talks with Ukraine are unrealistic
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a government statement on Wednesday that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were unrealistic, German radio reported.
Advertisement
Schorz told the German parliament that Russian President Vladimir Putin still believes in the possibility of a forced peace.
That is why the possibility of negotiations is "very, very remote."
Therefore, the goal remains for Ukraine to repel the Russian attackers.
Schorz also raised the prospect of a new strategic concept for NATO.
A partnership with Putin ’ s aggressive imperialist Russia is inconceivable for the foreseeable future.
In the current crisis of security policy, Germany has a very special responsibility.
It will expand its military presence in the Baltic region.
According to Scholz, "every square meter of Allied territory must be defended."
Scholz thanked all who approved special spending for the Bundeswehr, saying it laid the foundation for a new security structure in Germany.
Germany recently decided to allocate an additional 100 billion euros to the Bundeswehr to upgrade its armaments.
Scholz added that Russia is waging a ruthless war against the Ukrainian people, which is why Ukraine will continue to receive massive support.
This includes financial, economic, humanitarian and political support, as well as the supply of weapons.
At the same time, the impact of the war in Ukraine on Germany is increasing.
Energy prices continue to rise.
Officials warned that energy supplies could be tight in the winter.
German Economy Minister Stefan Halbek is preparing to launch a national gas emergency plan in response to Russia's recent drastic cuts in gas supplies to Germany.
According to the German newspaper Le Monde, the second phase of emergency regulation could immediately and significantly raise gas prices for all consumers.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Lindner warned on German television that Germany is facing a severe economic crisis over high energy prices.
At the very least, he said, the continued use of nuclear energy should be considered.
"It is absolutely possible to extend the use of nuclear power plants," the governor of Bavaria, Solda, told German radio.
Governments should consider all options regardless of ideology.
But Prime Minister Schulz of the Social Democratic Party expressed reservations about extending the life of the nuclear power plant.
Email News Headlines In Your Daily News Letter
Download the Guangdong-France app to track international current events

The country is seeking alternative sources to Russian oil, gas, and coal, and is accelerating the development of renewable energy sources to reduce its dependence on Russia.

Germany has signed an energy cooperation agreement with Qatar, which will start LNG deliveries to Germany in 2024, and the country is also negotiating joint gas and renewable projects with Senegal, which has billions of cubic meters of gas reserves.

Title:

Content: Germany has found another alternative to Russian gas – who will become a supplier
May 23, 11: 01 AM
Senegal has gas reserves of billions of cubic meters, so the country can become a serious player in the energy market in the future
Germany continues to look for opportunities to cut off Russian natural gas supplies because of the war in Ukraine.
So, the country wants to implement projects in the field of gas and renewable energy sources together with Senegal.
This is reported by Radio Liberty.
Advertisement
According to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, this will help the country to abandon Russian energy supplies.
According to the German side, Senegal has gas reserves of billions of cubic meters.
Therefore, Senegal could become the largest producer of gas in West Africa.
Negotiations on joint projects between Berlin and Senegal have already begun.
It is expected that Germany will help in the exploration of a gas field in Senegal.
Advertisement
Not a single Senegal
Germany is seeking to reduce its dependence on Russian gas as quickly as possible after Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine, so it recently signed an agreement with Qatar to deepen its energy cooperation.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany plans to build two terminals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) from suppliers such as Qatar.
Qatar ’ s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani confirmed that Doha plans to start LNG deliveries to Germany in 2024, and called Europe an “interesting ” gas market.
Advertisement
By the way, we have already told why Germany was dragging on the decision to abandon gas from Russia, and wrote that Gazprom stopped gas supplies to Finland.

The German government has introduced "garbage detectives" to find waste to process into gas, which can help reduce dependence on Russian energy, and the country is considering keeping coal-fired power plants open longer for energy security.

Title:

Content: BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is considering keeping coal-fired power plants open longer to ensure energy security, the government said Thursday, as Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine raises concerns about electricity supplies.
Berlin said it would reduce the use of gas for electricity generation by "potentially keeping coal-fired power plants as a security precaution for a longer period".
The decommissioning of power plants "could be suspended until further notice," she said, adding that she and "in principle" could commit to the goal of gradually reducing coal use by 2030.
Climate neutrality
The coalition, which includes the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Liberal Free Democratic Party, has sought to end coal use in the coming years in order to reach climate neutrality by 2045.
The energy transition was predicated on temporarily increasing gas imports while boosting renewable energy infrastructure.
But the war in Ukraine changed Germany ’ s best plans.
Fifty-five percent of Germany ’ s gas imports come from Russia, exposing its dependence on Russian energy resources as Western allies push for sanctions against President Vladimir Putin ’ s administration for invading Ukraine.
Germany's Greens economy minister has been forced to search around the world to buy coal to boost energy reserves.
Pressure has been mounting amid growing calls by Western countries for a total ban on Russian energy imports, but Germany has so far refrained, citing possible repercussions for Europe's largest economy.
Putin ratcheted up the tone on Wednesday by demanding payments for gas purchases in rubles, which Germany said was a breach of contracts.
US President Joe Biden will attend Thursday ’ s summit in Brussels, which is expected to focus on energy security.

Title:

Content: The most striking events during the special operation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to protect the residents of Donbass
Gas from banana peel: “garbage detectives ” will help Germany find a replacement for fuel from the Russian Federation
25
Replacement of fuel from Russia in Germany will look for garbage detectives
Photo, video: www.globallookpress.com / Bernd Weißbrod; 5-tv.ru
The German authorities do not know how to deal with a severe crisis.
Is it possible in principle?
In Germany, “garbage detectives ” will soon appear.
It was proposed to introduce such a position in the Ministry of the Environment of the state of Baden-Württemberg.
So, according to Bild, the authorities plan to find alternative sources of energy.
“Trash detectives ” will have to look for waste in landfills and in tanks near houses, which can then be processed into gas.
For example, blue fuel can be isolated from the banana peel.
So they hope to reduce dependence on Russian energy supplies.

However, this is not a long-term solution, and Germany's energy transition relies on increasing gas imports and renewable energy, but the country is exposed due to its heavy dependence on Russian energy.

The German government will offer assistance to consumers and businesses affected by the energy crisis, but there is no indication that sectors of the population are pushing to bring nuclear reactors back online.

Overall, Germany is working to reduce its dependence on Russian energy and is exploring alternative energy sources, including renewable energy, green hydrogen, and liquefied natural gas.

The country aims to produce 10 gigawatts of green hydrogen by 2030, with investments being made to promote climate protection and energy supply security, and the government has approved €900M for the green hydrogen project H2Global.

Title:

Content: Monolith receives conditional approval for a $1B loan from DOE
NASA selects four university teams for aviation projects; eliminating emissions and autonomy research

Germany approves €900M for green hydrogen project H2Global

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWi) has approved €900 million for the innovative funding instrument H2Global. The aim of the project is to advance the international market ramp-up of green hydrogen and to use double-auction procedures for this purpose. This means that hydrogen or hydrogen derivatives are bought cheaply on the world market and sold at the highest bid in the EU.

Green hydrogen plays a central role in the transformation of our economy. In the future, we will have a high demand for green hydrogen and will also need imports in addition to production in Germany. Therefore, we are already starting the international ramp-up of the hydrogen economy and building long-term value creation and supply chains through the H2Global instrument.

—Robert Habeck, Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection

The core idea of H2Global is a double-auction model: Hydrogen or hydrogen derivatives are purchased in non-EU countries at the lowest possible price with 10-year contracts via a competitive process. The contracts are processed via the intermediary HINT.CO. HINT.CO is a subsidiary of the H2Global Foundation founded by the private sector. Through the intermediary, products are sold to German and European companies through short-term auctions at the highest possible price, which can thus drive their decarbonization.

Since the production price of green hydrogen is still relatively high in the current market ramp-up phase, HINT.CO is expected to pay more in purchasing than it can collect through sales. The resulting losses are compensated by the federal government’s grant for a maximum of 10 years. Over time, losses will decrease as the willingness to pay for sustainable energy sources will increase in the foreseeable future.

The producers of renewable hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives such as green ammonia, green methanol, and e-Kerosene wishing to participate in the tenders will have to strictly comply with the sustainability criteria for renewable hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives production, set by the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). They will also have to contribute to the deployment or financing of the additional renewable electricity needed to supply the electrolyzers producing hydrogen under the scheme.

After the funding instrument was approved by the European Commission under state aid law on 12/20/2021, the first acceptance contracts under H2Global are to be concluded as early as 2022. The first deliveries of sustainable hydrogen-based energy sources to Germany and Europe are planned for 2024.

Title:

Content: Hydrogen: Can it reduce Germany ’ s dependence on Russian gas?
• Janek Schmidt
• Business Technology Reporter
The war in Ukraine turned German energy policy upside down.
Since the start of the war, Germany has reduced its dependence on Russian oil from 35 percent to 12 percent and its dependence on Russian gas from 55 percent to 35 percent.
During the first two months of the war, Germany paid close to $9.6 billion in Russian oil and gas imports, according to the Finnish research center CREA.
Veronica Grimm, professor of economics at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, is one of Germany ’ s three special advisers to the federal government, called the Economic Sages.
“We need to diversify our energy sources and decarbonize them faster than initially planned, ” says Professor Grimm.
To help achieve this goal, Grimm wants the nation to “intensify ” its use of hydrogen.
Hydrogen can store vast amounts of energy, replace natural gas in industrial processes and power fuel cells in trucks, trains, ships or aircraft that only produce drinking water vapor.
Skip the podcast and keep reading.
Podcast
A simple change (a simple change)
Small change: What does your shopping basket have to do with climate change?
Loops
Podcast End
Grimm ’ s enthusiasm is gaining momentum as the International Energy Agency (IEA), an energy research group, says dozens of countries have adopted or are about to adopt national hydrogen strategies.
Despite this wave of interest, it is not yet clear how widely hydrogen can be applied.
There have been similar waves of interest before, in the 1970s after two oil crises, and in the 1990s when concerns about climate change escalated but faded.
So, is the noise of the day different?
Skeptics warn that industry representatives, who globally dominate most hydrogen councils, are often biased in favor of hydrogen as they promise to subsidize and maintain demand for existing assets such as pipelines, tankers, turbines or boilers.
They also argue that politicians prefer big plans that look green for a distant future rather than more difficult solutions.
At the same time, environmental groups are cautious, and have suggested that hydrogen cannot be harvested as a primary fuel, but instead must be made in two basic ways, each marked by a color code.
Green hydrogen is produced using electricity from renewable energy to divide water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules using an electrolyte.
But the operation of these machines and electricity remains expensive.
The IEA says these costs mean that currently emissions-free hydrogen accounts for only 0.03 percent of global hydrogen production.
Grey hydrogen, which is produced from natural gas or in some cases oil or coal, is five times cheaper.
But because of the magnitude of the waste during production, about 50 percent more CO2 is emitted than if natural gas were burned directly.
A technique related to the previous process is known as blue hydrogen.
It relies on the same process but about 60-90 percent of the carbon emitted in production is captured for reuse or storage.
The disadvantage of this method is that it almost doubles the cost and lacks large-scale production facilities, so only 0.7 percent of the hydrogen produced globally is blue hydrogen.
So, despite its environmentally friendly image and potential, global hydrogen production is currently emitting almost three times as much carbon dioxide as an entire country like France.
Much will then depend on how countries decide to produce hydrogen.
Some countries already have a clear priority to power the electrolyte, and most countries that are exposed to the sun are betting on solar power while France is dependent on nuclear power.
Meanwhile, China prides itself on cheap grey hydrogen from coal and gas and is investing in green alternatives.
The United States, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands and Norway are leading the way to blue hydrogen by injecting captured carbon into oil and gas fields for long-term storage, or for so-called enhanced oil recovery that supports extraction.
But the picture in Germany is less clear.
Volker Kwashingg, a professor of renewable energy systems at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences, criticized Germany ’ s hydrogen strategy, saying: “The Merkel government used it to hide its failures in the energy transition. ”
Professor Kwashingg argues that solar and wind power should have been scaled up faster to facilitate future green hydrogen production, a move the new German government has promised to take.
However, the three parties in the ruling coalition, the three responsible ministries and the Hydrogen Council are arguing over whether to focus on green hydrogen or accept the blue alternative to temporarily fill the gap in limited supply.
Professor Grimm represented the majority opinion in the Hydrogen Council in favor of a multicolored combination.
“Accepting blue hydrogen will help create the supplies we need, boost technological breakthroughs in Germany, and encourage potential suppliers to invest in green hydrogen production, ” she says.
In January, Economy Minister Robert Habeck announced an ambitious push for renewables and raised the target of local green hydrogen production to 150 times from 70 megawatts today to 10 gigawatts by 2030.
This represents a quarter of the entire EU target of 40 gigawatts, which is larger than France ’ s target of 6.5 gigawatts.
Thus, as Germany expands domestic production, it is looking to get hydrogen from abroad.
Andreas Kohlmann, head of the German Energy Agency (a government-owned company that facilitates the energy transition coordinated by the Hydrogen Council), says Germany has significantly accelerated international negotiations to buy hydrogen.
This could include the development of hydrogen pipelines to link them to southern Europe where favorable conditions for solar and wind power allow for highly efficient hydrogen production.
German Economy Minister Habeck is hastily visiting energy exporting countries.
In the space of one week in March, he traveled to Norway to agree on a feasibility study for building a hydrogen pipeline, went to Qatar to finalize an energy partnership, and visited the United Arab Emirates to sign five cooperation agreements.
The first shipments from the UAE are expected later this year.
Other countries of interest to Hapek regarding hydrogen are Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Chile, Namibia and Australia.
Although he acknowledges the need to import hydrogen, Professor Kwashingg is dispelling some of Habeck ’ s hopes.
“Importing hydrogen from desert production plants will be slow, inefficient and costly. ”
Each step in the supply chain uses some of the original energy: desalination of seawater for fresh water as raw materials, electrolysis, liquefaction of hydrogen for shipping, transportation by sea tankers, domestic transportation by pipeline in Germany, and reconversion of hydrogen into electricity.
“Taken together, these steps will consume at least 70 percent of the electricity already produced in the desert. ”
“So even though solar panels in the desert produce 80 percent more electricity than those in Germany, the losses on the road are very large, so the efficiency is twice as high if solar power is produced directly in Germany. ”
Because of its high cost, hydrogen is often referred to as the bubbly of the energy transition.
So, who gets the first sips?
Most observers agree.
Felix Mattis, an energy expert at the OKO Institute, a research center and member of the German Hydrogen Council, explains: “It is crucial that we allocate hydrogen only to those industries where direct electricity cannot be provided. ”
"So we must first use it in the production of steel, chemicals and glass."
Subsequent sectors can be freight and long-haul trucking as well as medium or long-haul aircraft.
He adds that other uses in cars or heating are inefficient, expensive and impractical dispersants.
“In addition, Hapek ’ s new approach to renewables will create a greater need to balance our electricity supply, which hydrogen can do with an electrolyte that produces hydrogen on sunny days and windy days to serve as a great store on cloudy winter days, ” Mattis said.
The pressure is on Germany to stop spending too much on Russian energy, but it will be a difficult process.
Many hope that hydrogen will facilitate this transition by fulfilling its promise this time around.

Germany targets 40-75 TWh clean hydrogen demand by 2030, with a total demand of 55 TWh currently, and the country plans to build 1,800 km of hydrogen pipelines by 2027/2028 and establish a 10,000 km hydrogen pipeline network by 2032.

Title:

Content: People 's Network > > International
German government adopts new national hydrogen energy strategy
July 27, 2023 20: 21 | Source: Xinhua Network
Small number
Xinhua News Agency, BERLIN, July 27 (Reporter Du Zheyu) The German government passed a new version of the National Hydrogen Energy Strategy on the 26th. The strategy said that by 2030, Germany 's leading position in hydrogen energy technology will be further improved, and the product supply will cover the whole value chain of hydrogen energy technology from production (such as electrolyzer) to various applications (such as fuel cell technology).
According to the new National Hydrogen Energy Strategy, it is expected that by 2030, Germany's hydrogen energy demand will reach 130 terawatt hours (TWh), of which 50% to 70% need to be imported, and the German government is formulating the relevant import strategy.
In addition, Germany also plans to significantly increase domestic electrolytic hydrogen capacity, plans to double the target of domestic electrolytic hydrogen capacity by 2030, from 5 gigawatts (GW) to at least 10 gigawatts (GW).
Germany will also build an efficient hydrogen energy infrastructure, with plans to retrofit and build more than 1,800 km of hydrogen pipelines by 2027 / 2028.
German Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Climate Protection Robert Halbeck said in a statement on the 26th: "Investing in hydrogen energy is investing in our future, it is investing in climate protection, employment and energy supply security." Sustainable development.
The German government plans to invest 9 billion euros to promote the production and use of hydrogen energy in 2020. In 2021, the German Federal Ministry of Economy and Energy and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research issued the "Guidelines for Funding International Hydrogen Energy Projects" to promote the construction of overseas hydrogen energy projects. Promote multilateral cooperation on hydrogen energy.
(Editor: Cui Yue, Zhang Yue)
Share it so more people can see it.
Back to top

Title:

Content: There were 1,584 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 428,843 in the last 365 days.

Four questions for Germany’s big hydrogen power plan

The German government is proposing to invest billions of euros to support the roll-out of a wave of hydrogen-fired power plants. This is part of a move to phase-out coal plants and to deploy large volumes of wind and solar generation.

Details of the hydrogen plan – the Kraftwerksstrategie or KWS – became available on 5 February through a press release from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action 1 , which confirmed government agreement on the scheme. The plan is now subject to the approval of the European Commission and negotiations with the German parliament.

The planned hydrogen subsidies would have a transformative impact on both the German and European electricity markets. But discussions on the plans during 2023 were the privilege only of those inside ministries. Given the importance of these plans, the lack of public debate or transparency so far, especially at European level, is concerning.

In this context, and to inform the debate that will now start, we pose four questions: Why hydrogen? What are the ramifications for the European market? Where in Germany? By when should coal be phased out?

An unprecedented transformation of the German electricity system

Germany wants 80 percent of domestic electricity generation to be renewable by 2030, up from 44 percent in 2022 2 . Specifically, this involves reaching an installed generation capacity of 215 gigawatts solar, 110 GW onshore wind and 30 GW offshore wind by 2030, more than doubling existing capacities in the next six year 3 .

Germany’s governing coalition must also decide whether to bring forward the legally-specified coal phase-out date from 2038 to 2030. Bringing it forward would imply replacement of an additional 17 GW of lignite and coal plants by 2030 4 , on top of 13 GW of plants already scheduled for shut down.

All this means restructuring the electricity system at unprecedented speed. To accompany variable renewables, the deployment of clean-generation capacity that can smooth fluctuations in renewable output – both intra-day and across seasons – is necessary. However, exactly how much new capacity is required, and from which technology, is not clear.

What does Germany aim to do? Principles and compromises

The main thrust of the power plant strategy is to provide subsidies for hydrogen-fired power plants. The German government sees these plants as replacements for coal-fired plants that will shut down, and as complements to variable renewable generation, most likely by helping to balance longer-term fluctuations in renewable output. This is consistent with the German government’s grander ambitions for hydrogen. Plans are being drawn up for a hydrogen pipeline network that will cover 10,000 km by 2032 5 , and up to €20 billion will be spent developing the hydrogen industry between 2024 and 2027 6 .

The government originally wanted to support three types of plant: 1) hydrogen sprinters, 2) hydrogen hybrid, and 3) hydrogen-ready. Sprinters are purpose-built turbines that would run on hydrogen from day one. Hybrids involve the co-location of hydrogen capabilities alongside solar PV or onshore wind, which could even out the electricity sent to the power grid 7 . Hydrogen-ready plants would be plants with gas-fired turbines, and a requirement to provide a detailed roadmap showing how they will switch to hydrogen no later than 2040.

In August 2023, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action said it had completed negotiations with the European Commission over provision of state aid to these three types of plant 8 . Plans were drawn up to subsidise 4.4 GW of sprinters, 4.4 GW of hybrid plants, and up to 15 GW of hydrogen-ready plants. A first tender was intended for December 2023.

However, like so much of Germany’s planned climate expenditure, this agreement was thrown into question by a November 2023 constitutional court ruling that COVID-19 debt allowances could not be rolled over into Germany’s Climate and Transformation Fund (Klima- und Transformationsfonds, KTF), on the basis that the rollover would breach government spending rules 9 . The KTF would have been the source of the originally-planned subsidies for three types of hydrogen plant.

Therefore, a compromise was worked out, culminating in the government’s 5 February announcement 10 . The government now plans to subsidise a lower volume of 10 GW hydrogen-ready turbines and has scrapped plans for the 8.8 GW combined sprinters and hybrids. A tender process will offer state support for the construction and operation of four natural gas-fired power plants. Bidders should draw up plans for transitioning to hydrogen between 2035 and 2040. The estimated cost is €16 billion 11 .

This would create a demand for hydrogen of 20 TWh annually once all plants are converted, assuming 1,000 running hours per year 12 . Demand of 20 TWh is significant but not disproportionate in the context of wider plans. Total German hydrogen demand today is 55 TWh, of which almost none is supplied as clean hydrogen produced using renewable electricity 13 . The German national hydrogen strategy sets a target for between 40 TWh and 75 TWh total clean hydrogen demand in 2030 (BMWK, 2023).

Until plants are converted to hydrogen, they will consume natural gas, again estimated at a 20 TWh annual consumption. This compares to typical annual German gas demand of 800 TWh, which will be substantially lower by 2030.

Read the full analysis at the original link.

About the authors

Ben McWilliams is working for Bruegel as an Affiliate fellow in the field of Energy and Climate Policy. His work involves data-driven analysis to critique and inform European public policy, specifically in the area of the energy sector and its decarbonisation.

Georg Zachmann is a Senior Fellow at Bruegel, where he has worked since 2009 on energy and climate policy. His work focuses on regional and distributional impacts of decarbonisation, the analysis and design of carbon, gas and electricity markets, and EU energy and climate policies.

The German government has adopted a new national hydrogen energy strategy, which includes investing 9 billion euros in hydrogen energy production and promoting multilateral cooperation on hydrogen energy.

The government has also issued guidelines for funding international hydrogen energy projects, which will help support the development of the global hydrogen market.

The development of green hydrogen is expected to play a central role in Germany's energy transition, with the country aiming to generate 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

Title:

Content: People 's Network > > International
Overview ｜ Hannover Messe focuses on energy transition
April 26, 2024 09: 53 | Source: Xinhua Network
Small number
Xinhua News Agency, HANNOVER, Germany, April 25, Roundup ｜ Hannover Messe focuses on energy transition
Xinhua News Agency reporter Du Zheyu and Chu Yi
The 2024 Hannover Messe will be held from April 22 to 26.
The theme of this year's exhibition is "Injecting vitality for sustainable industrial development", and energy transformation has become the focus of attention of all parties.
German Chancellor Gerhard Scholz said during the exhibition that the key to Germany ’ s energy transition is to produce more electricity in a climate-friendly manner and at affordable prices, and strive to generate 80% of its electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind by 2030.
Norway is the host country for this year ’ s event.
Norway has abundant hydropower resources, which provide favorable conditions for the production of green hydrogen.
Norwegian Prime Minister Steele said at the opening ceremony that Norwegian exhibitors will showcase green transformation solutions such as green hydrogen and carbon capture systems.
Jochen Koehler, chairman of the board of directors of Deutsche Messe AG, the organizer of the exhibition, said in an interview with Xinhua reporters during the exhibition that climate change threatens every country and is a common challenge facing all mankind.
Like China, Germany is committed to reducing CO2 emissions and accelerating the energy transition.
For the key to the energy transition, Kokler said, "to achieve the transition from fossil energy to green energy, first of all, need to ensure sufficient (green) energy, and secondly, the price must be competitive, so as to maintain the stability of the transition."
In response to this problem, this Hannover Messe offers many solutions. "Cochler also stressed the importance of international cooperation for the energy transition.
He said that the energy transition knows no borders and requires the cooperation of all countries in order to achieve it.
In an interview held during the exhibition, Johannes Daum, director of the hydrogen, alternative fuels and fuel cells division of the German National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Organization (NOW), said that the German government attaches importance to hydrogen infrastructure construction and technology research investment, as early as 2006 began to fund hydrogen fuel cell technology, and launched the second phase of funding and related innovation program in 2016.
Germany currently has more than 90 hydrogen refueling stations and hundreds of hydrogen buses have been subsidized.
Doom also pointed out that in order to achieve climate change goals and energy transition, hydrogen energy alone is not enough, and requires a multi-pronged approach to develop more technological solutions to achieve breakthroughs.
In an interview with Xinhua, Cedric Neck, member of the management committee of Siemens AG and chief executive of the digital industry, said that to achieve the energy transition, gradual adjustment is not enough, and profound changes must be made.
This requires, first, strengthening innovation to drive transformation faster and more effectively; secondly, strengthening cooperation to “learn from each other, bundle the strengths and capabilities of all parties, and build a partner ecosystem with many excellent players, many ideas and many different application cases ”; moreover, the transition to a more sustainable way of development is closely related to digital transformation, and the application of new technologies such as artificial intelligence in the industrial field is full of potential and broad prospects.
Founded in 1947, Hannover Fair has become one of the most influential industrial exhibitions in the world.
The exhibition attracted nearly 4,000 exhibitors from about 60 countries and regions, including more than 500 exhibitors from the hydrogen and fuel cell sector to showcase energy solutions.
(Editor: Liu Jieyan, Cui Yue)
Share it so more people can see it.
Back to top

The US Inflation Reduction Act may have a significant impact on Germany's renewable energy industry, with the Act providing billions of dollars for climate investments, but limiting subsidies to US-made products.

Title:

Content: Germany and France prepare a proposal to respond to the US inflation reduction program - Sunrise Gate
Wednesday 21 December 2022 10: 50 PM Cairo Cairo 24 °
Most Read
You might like it, too.
Share your opinion
What is your assessment of Qatar ’ s hosting of the current World Cup?
Germany and France prepare a proposal to respond to the US inflation reduction program
Published on: Monday 19 December 2022 - 9: 54 PM | Last updated on Monday 19 December 2022 - 9: 54 PM
A plan to this effect, prepared by German Economy Minister Robert Habeck and his French counterpart Bruno Le Maire, was published on Monday in Brussels, including scenarios for a European response to the US program.
The program provides for billions of dollars of climate change investments and limits subsidies and tax breaks to companies that use U.S. products or those that produce in the United States.
The program has drawn much criticism in Europe, where Europeans fear damage to their local businesses.
US President Joe Biden has defended the law but recently said there were minor shortcomings that could be discussed and resolved.
Habeck and Lümer now insist that the exceptions provided for in the law should also apply to the European Union, demand that the tax exemptions provided for American products also be opened to European products, and demand that the American and European sides regularly exchange information on government subsidies granted to green technologies.
Habeck and Lümer did not rule out a future economic partnership with the United States in developing common standards and mutual recognition of green technology standards.
The two ministers said it was in the common interest of both sides to quickly reach an agreement on the issue "in a period of trustful cooperation" to counter the Russian war in Ukraine.
The ministers said the EU must move away from fossil raw materials in order to meet climate targets while maintaining a "strong industrial base" that includes well-paid jobs and a wide range of companies.
The two ministers called for EU rules on state aid for green technologies – environmentally and climate-friendly technologies – to be drafted more flexibly, for the licensing process to be halved, and for EU funds to be pumped more specifically into these areas.
You might like it, too.
Share your comment

The German government is responding to this challenge by proposing a package of measures to support the country's green technology industry, including a potential €10 billion package.

Title:

Content: German Go-It-Alone Response to Biden’s Green Subsidy Plan Sets Off Alarm for EU

(Bloomberg) -- Berlin’s response to Joe Biden’s green subsidy plan is setting off alarm bells in Paris and Madrid, where officials are concerned it could give German firms an unfair advantage over their European rivals.

Most Read from Bloomberg

While the German government is considering a €10 billion ($10.7 billion) package of support for companies switching to green technology, France and Spain want to see European Union leaders come up with a joint response, officials from those capitals said.

Further European funding to protect companies and jobs will be discussed at a summit in Brussels Thursday, the French and Spanish officials said, asking not to be named discussing private conversations. The agenda for the meeting includes energy, security and industrial policy.

Germany has pushed back against calls for a more aggressive European response to Biden’s $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act, arguing instead for streamlining the distribution of existing EU funding. A Spanish official said that while there’s room to work on how funds are disbursed, a stronger response is required to protect industries such as autos that are trying to navigate the switch to electric cars. The two countries could further coordinate their position during a visit by Emmanuel Macron to Madrid in January.

Read More: Germany Backs National Action in Green Subsidy Dispute With US

Berlin had already irked other member states when it unveiled a €200 billion plan to shield German companies and consumers from surging energy prices.

European leaders have warned that the US legislation could hurt European companies. However, EU officials said privately that leaders are wary of fueling tensions with Washington when the US is playing a central role in supporting Ukraine’s fight against Russia. That concern is especially acute in Berlin, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz is keen to revive trade talks between the EU and the US.

During Thursday’s talks, EU leaders may ask the European Commission to assess how much money from the existing budget could be redirected to support EU companies and to look at potential changes to the bloc’s restrictions on state aid, an EU official said. Those discussions may continue at another summit in February.

Read More: EU Can’t Afford Trade War in US Subsidies Clash, Vestager Says

Discussions on Biden’s climate package come as member states are increasingly worried about the loss of competitiveness with US and Asian countries, according to an EU official.

The head of the EU’s executive branch, Ursula Von der Leyen, already suggested topping up existing funds and loans designed to help the bloc become independent from Russian fossil fuels and to weather the Covid pandemic. She also called for the creation of a new “sovereignty fund” for green technologies.

While she did not specify whether this new tool would be funded by joint borrowing, the proposal echoed the jointly backed Covid recovery fund created in 2020, raising worries among more fiscally conservative European member states.

After France and Germany agreed to push forward a proposal for joint borrowing to weather the Covid pandemic in 2020, Macron had already suggested a more ambitious industrial plan based on common debt to match the US response to the pandemic. While France quietly backed down in the face of opposition from partners, the idea remains alive in Paris.

--With assistance from Jorge Valero and Alberto Nardelli.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.

Germany is also working with other European countries, such as France, to develop a joint response to the US Inflation Reduction Act, including calls for the EU to relax state aid rules for renewable energy investments.

The country's energy transition is facing challenges due to bureaucracy and populism, which may hinder the country's ability to transition to a low-carbon energy economy.

Title:

Content: Alert
iPhone 13 sells "Miss God" for 9 days and earns nearly 23,000 yuan
When will the country return to level 1 alert? Cheng Wen-chan raises 2 indicators to advise command center
German manufacturing and energy transition are lame.
Wen Yang Shao-keung
Eurozone growth slows below expectations in second quarter
“Being the Chancellor of Germany after Merkel is like being in Schenn.
Connery later played 007. "The Economist" analogy. September 26 German election, will bring two definitive results: one is that Prime Minister Merkel, who has been in power for 16 years, will step down, and the other is that whoever becomes the successor, will face three major challenges in the German economy.
Recently, the euro has hovered at a nine-month low against the US dollar. The Wall Street Journal interpreted this as a market bet that the euro area recovery will be slower than the US.
Germany, the largest economy in the euro zone, is to blame: the German economy grew by 1.6% in the second quarter of this year, which was lower than market expectations, and “Germany ’ s economic rebound is at risk, ” Bloomberg said.
Germany ’ s weak economic rebound stems from the epidemic and shortage of raw materials in the manufacturing sector.
Volkswagen (VW), Europe ’ s largest automaker, reported a 19% drop in global car deliveries in July, the first monthly decline since the year.
The Munich-based Ifo Institute noted that German business confidence fell more in August than economists had predicted.
“The situation is actually getting worse, ” said Clemens Fuest, the director of the institute.
The first export of machinery and equipment to China
Transformation is urgently needed to remain unique
But the shortage of raw materials is only a short-term problem, and in the long run, the German economy has three structural challenges.
According to the German Machinery Equipment Manufacturing Association (VDMA) report in July this year, China's machinery and equipment exports amounted to 165 billion euros in 2020, with a global market share of about 15.8% and Germany's about 15.5%, which is the first time China has overtaken Germany in this field.
The German Federal Office for Foreign Trade and Investment even predicts that in 2021, China will increase its leading edge to more than 40 billion euros in machinery and equipment exports.
German magazine Der Spiegel quoted the agency ’ s research in August: “Chinese competitors are surpassing German exporters in more and more areas.
According to the German Institute for Economic Research (IW), the EU ’ s share of various industrial products imported from China rose from 50.7% in 2000 to 68.2% in 2019.
“In the field of machinery manufacturing, Germany may have lost its ability to compete with China, ” Der Spiegel said.
"Economist" analysis, a major advantage of Chinese manufacturing, is that the industrial sector is full of categories, products from the low end to the high-end.
In contrast, many German companies focus on niche markets, and the result of professional division of labor is the lack of a complete industrial chain that spans all fields like China.
The outbreak has led to a shortage of raw materials, which has had an impact on highly specialized German companies. Bloomberg News also pointed out that “once the supply chain that German companies normally rely on is cut off, it is difficult to find a replacement quickly. ”
Although Chinese manufacturers are catching up, Hermann Simon, the father of the invisible champion, said in an interview with Shang Zhou that the population of China is 17 times that of Germany, and 60% of the German invisible champion companies have set up factories in China. "It is inevitable that the absolute amount of money made in China will exceed that of Germany."
But Simon agrees that with the rise of China, German manufacturing still needs to be transformed, and that being “unique ” is the way to survive in the future.
“If Toyota didn ’ t sell cars today, the world wouldn ’ t be the same, ” Simon told Shang Zhou, adding that without Toyota, people would still have Nissan and Volkswagen cars to buy.
But if the German stealth champion ’ s laser machines go out of production — which are used in many factories around the world — “a large part of the world ’ s manufacturing industry will collapse. ”
Therefore, in order to maintain its superiority, German manufacturers must continue to maintain this irreplaceable.
In addition, another way out for German manufacturing is brand value.
In March, the Financial Times reported that Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said he would not consider building a factory in China, citing German manufacturing to maintain the premium capacity of the Porsche brand.
For the prestige of German manufacturing, even higher labor costs are required.
Looking at other industries, “unique ” and“ brand ” are the ways that pioneers face competition from China.
For example, the pioneers of smart phones are Apple, Samsung, in the face of the rise of China's affordable mobile phone millet, these pioneers also have to transform, either the main China can not replace, or emphasize brand value.
Made in Germany as well.
Exclusion weakens competitiveness
The Invisible Champion is down and digital is out of date.
Although Germany ’ s “invisible champions ” are irreplaceable, the reality is that their market value is not high: as the world ’ s fourth largest economy, there is no German company in the top 70 of the world ’ s top 100 companies by market capitalization.
Even unicorns — startups with a market valuation of more than $1 billion — in Europe, including Germany, are far below China and the United States.
Some analysts believe that this is the merit of the German craftsman spirit: focusing on technology and rejecting the money game of the stock market.
However, ignoring the results of market valuations will still affect the competitiveness of German companies in the long term.
Simon pointed out that one of the problems was the acquisition.
“From 2014 to 2020, China acquired 300 German companies, many of them stealth champions. ” These Chinese companies used the stock market to raise capital and then bought skilled German companies in silver bullion.
This is an adaptation of the 15th-century philosopher Nicolas Machiavel ’ s famous saying, “Technology does not bring gold, but gold always brings technology. ”
The second is research.
German companies do not attach importance to the stock market, meaning that they can only use their own money to invest in research and development, unlike those listed in China and the United States, which can use the money of investors. Bloomberg News quoted statistics: After adjusting for scale, the number of Chinese invisible champions in research and development is about three times that of their German counterparts.
“The German stealth champions must reflect on their rejection of the listing mentality.
Simon said during the weekly interview.
The deeper problem is that the German market is undervalued, reflecting that they have not kept up with the times.
In terms of cars, it is Germany's most important export, but the vast majority of these cars are built on internal combustion engines.
More and more countries are banning the sale of internal combustion engines in the future: Norway plans to phase it out by 2025, the UK by 2030, and the 27 EU member states by 2035.
In July, Wired UK described a car manufacturing hub like Germany as “probably the next Detroit. ”
In response to this trend, German Volkswagen has invested tens of billions of dollars in the transformation to electric vehicles.
But not every company has the same financial power as Volkswagen.
The backbone of Europe ’ s automotive industry consists of about 10,000 small and medium-sized parts suppliers – 1,200 of them in Germany alone.
In the electric car trend, these German products are feared to be outdated, even the invisible champion is no exception.
For example, Selzer, a family-owned business in the hills of western Germany, a 90-minute drive from Frankfurt, has been producing motor and transmission parts for the last 100 years.
The car market turned to electrification, which dealt a severe blow to its business.
Since 2018, more than half of Saize ’ s employees have been laid off; in 2020, all apprenticeships have been discontinued.
Sybille Brandenburger, an engineer who has worked at the company since she was 16 and has been there for 41 years, told Britain ’ s Wired, “We ’ re all afraid that one morning when we go to work, the door closes. ”
In addition, the wave of digitalization is sweeping the world, but Germany is the laggard.
In a recent EU report, Germany ranked 21st among the 27 EU member states and the United Kingdom for the extent to which online services are available to citizens.
“School computers are old, health authorities rely on fax machines, and town offices offer little or no online services – this is the reality in Germany in 2021, ” Deutsche Welle describes.
The Wall Street Journal quoted Hubert Barth, the former CEO of Ernst & Young Germany, as saying that some German blue-chip companies are “struggling ” in their transition to digital.
Some German companies are trying to catch up with digitalization. For example, sports brand leader Adidas has created smart manufacturing in Germany, which was once seen as a model for “Industry 4.0. ”
However, two smart factories (Speedfactories) that Adidas built in Germany and the United States in 2016 and 2017 respectively have been announced to close in 2019, moving their business to China and Vietnam, where labor costs are relatively low.
In economics, there is a so-called "path dependence" - the future generations continue to develop on the basis of the accumulation of previous generations, and relying on the completion of studies brings obstacles to innovation.
German stealth champions like Sezer are built on traditional manufacturing like internal combustion engines for everything from products and technology to employees.
However, when the internal combustion engine falls out of favor, these highly specialized enterprises are difficult to convert the runway and face the risk of being eliminated.
Renewable energy is shrinking.
Bureaucracy and populism block energy transition
Germany had hoped to completely phase out nuclear power by 2022 and coal plants by 2038.
However, according to the latest data from Germany ’ s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), coal accounted for 27% of the country ’ s electricity generation in the first half of this year, making it the largest source of electricity generation.
The share of wind power, which was originally the largest source of electricity, fell sharply, hitting its lowest level since 2018.
The share of renewable energy in power generation has also shrunk from more than half to 44%.
“The latest data show the challenges facing Germany ’ s energy transition, ” Deutsche Welle said.
Germany "abandoned nuclear coal, to ensure regeneration" was originally for environmental protection, but the irony is that today's energy transition is blocked, but also because of environmental protection.
As Euronews reported in September, “Bureaucracy and angry locals are blocking the energy transition. ”
Bavaria, for example, introduced the 110-H rule that new wind turbines must be installed at least ten times the height of the nearest housing.
As a result, none of the wind power projects in the last two years have been licensed locally.
In Wargolshausen, Germany, a showdown lasted even 10 years.
Investors were forced to remove the new wind turbine base and replace it with the old one because of lawsuits filed by nearby farmers.
“We ’ ve wasted €6 million on this project.
It can ’ t go on like this, ” complained investor Jürgen Rüth.
At the same time, the energy transition also involves high electricity prices in Germany.
The average household in Germany pays the highest electricity price in the European Union, and the average household price per kilowatt (including tax) jumped to a record high of 0.3 euros in the second half of last year.
German household electricity bills have doubled since 2000: 20 years ago a three-person household paid an average of €41 a month for electricity, now it is €93.
Der Spiegel pointed to three reasons for the high price of electricity: First, power plants have to pay increasing costs for carbon dioxide emissions.
According to the latest EU regulation, the cost per tonne of CO2 emitted by energy producers is 54 euros.
Second, the performance of renewable energy is not as expected.
Low wind power and cloudy skies in Germany have produced only 87 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity from renewables this year, compared to 103 TWh in the same period last year.
Supply cannot keep up with demand, and electricity prices naturally rise.
Finally, the supply of natural gas in Europe has recently fallen to a record low, and the high price of natural gas has led to a huge increase in the cost of generating electricity.
Some have suggested that Gazprom, Russia ’ s state-owned gas company, is cutting gas supplies and pressuring Germany to complete the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
It also highlights the reality of Germany ’ s dependence on foreign energy.
In the long run, Germany ’ s electricity shortage is unlikely to disappear.
In March, Reuters quoted a report from the German Audit Office that said there could be a gap of 4.5 gigawatts (GW) in the German power grid between 2022 and 2025, equivalent to ten large coal plants.
The report said the German economy ministry ’ s push for an energy transition “is too optimistic, and its goals are to a certain extent incredible. ”
Nevertheless, not all German companies bear the consequences of high electricity prices.
The larger the electricity used by the enterprise, the lower the average electricity price.
Therefore, on the one hand, Germany's energy-intensive industries, which use large amounts of electricity, enjoy low electricity prices, which are accused by European neighbors of unfair electricity price subsidies.
On the other hand, German SMEs pay high electricity prices due to low electricity consumption.
Ingeborg Neumann, a spokesman for Fair Energy Transition, a group of 10,000 German small and medium-sized businesses, told the German newspaper Merchants that high electricity prices are “the killer of our competitiveness. ”
20 years of energy transformation, Germany is facing the problem of power supply shortage, power price system and energy conservation contradiction.
At present, the main political parties in Germany support the energy transition, but as EuroNews said, “Germany urgently needs a new and reasonable legal framework to make the energy transition work. ” It seems that the energy transition and the industrial transformation it entails are probably the biggest challenges for the next German Chancellor.
[Extended reading]
It ’ s so easy, why don ’ t Americans like to order food online?
He squeezed Yanai Masao, and there was hardly any media coverage?
Who Is Japan ’ s Most Mysterious Rich Man?
Your career has not grown, are endless trivial things! 3 ways to refuse "the ability to work harder"
Related News
German manufacturing and energy transition are lame.
“Being the Chancellor of Germany after Merkel is like being in Schenn.
Connery later played 007. "The Economist" analogy. September 26 German election, will bring two definitive results: one is that Prime Minister Merkel, who has been in power for 16 years, will step down, and the other is that whoever becomes the successor, will face three major challenges in the German economy.
Two reasons why Taiwan cannot keep the unicorn Gogoro prefers to go to the United States to "borrow shells to market"
And it took two years to get up on Wall Street, including PayPal co-founder Peter.
Peter Thiel, son of Hong Kong ’ s richest man Li Ka-shing, is a keen SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company).
The movie theater is still saved, the parking boy, the protagonist of "Still Air" sells three things to the world.
"Those sour people who sing us down, pitiful!" This is the Twitter message of Simu Liu, the male lead of "Shangqi and the Ten Ring Legend" (hereinafter referred to as "Shangqi").
This movie was the worst superhero movie before it was released, and the box office and reputation were both successful after it was released.
The earliest ban on internal use, the latest release of the top of the third generation to reverse the 47 year old shop
In early September, Delta, a variant of the new coronavirus, invaded North Taiwan and once again tested the resilience of the restaurant industry.
“What can I leave behind if I have a limited life? ” Shampoo is a green mask.
Taiwanese people need to put on billions of sheets of film a year, which is the height of four Taipei 101 buildings, but have you thought that this is equivalent to throwing away four 101 height garbage?
What is the ability of the hardware supermarket? Leading Taili, Baoya
How long have you been in the hardware store?
In the impression, the door of the traditional hardware store is filled with buckets, hanging plastic water pipes, broom dustpan, and in the store, tools and various parts are stacked on top of the sky to shield the light.
Product recommendation
udn Forum

However, the government is committed to its energy transition goals and is working to address the challenges, including the development of better grids and the expansion of renewable energy infrastructure.

Title:

Content: Global News
German Chancellor: We must overcome the energy crisis with solidarity and form a new reality
German Chancellor Olaf Schulz said on Wednesday, commenting on the annual report of the German Council of Economic Experts, that the energy crisis must be overcome by solidarity and the formation of a new reality by facing these challenges in Germany.
He added that there are many things that must be dealt with due to the consequences of the Ukrainian crisis, including new rises in inflation, pointing out that his country faces an economic development that will result in economic and social challenges, unless the government takes the necessary measures to address them.
“The aid packages we have decided – almost 100 billion euros in total – and the €200 billion defence shield have exactly that purpose.
“The report also revolves around the fact that we have to create a new reality – and it is true – that is exactly in line with the measures we have taken to overcome the crisis with full storage systems, which we can start with, while diversifying our energy imports, by creating new LNG infrastructure to import gas on the northern German coast, and of course by temporarily restarting or leaving the power plants that would have been used to produce our electricity. nuclear power plants and nuclear power plants. ”
"At the same time, we are pushing the energy transition - and this is what one can understand by the new reality that the current crisis did not make us abandon the path we were on, we set out to ensure that all the wind turbines, solar panels and better grids we have for the future our country needs," he said.
We have presented to you our visitors the most important details about the news of the German Chancellor: We must overcome the energy crisis in solidarity and form a new reality on the Gulf Dot in this article and we hope that we have provided you with all the details clearly and more credibility and transparency and if you want to follow more news you can subscribe with us for free through our alerts system on your browser or by joining the mailing list.
We also have to remind you that this content is already published on the site and may have been the editorial team in Dot AlKhaleej confirmed or modified or quoted or may have been transferred in full and you can read and follow the updates of this news from its main source.
You may also read.

The government has finalized a nearly 100 billion euro energy bill subsidy plan to support households and businesses affected by the energy crisis, and has allocated over 260 billion euros to respond to the energy crisis.

Title:

Content: Alert
The secret identity of Hu Ge 's wife is revealed, "spend 3.5 million to learn makeup to attract him"
Yeh Wu-yang-kuang has a new girlfriend! A friend reveals that she is popular 2 key "Message will be back immediately"
Lin Yihua finally took office as vice mayor, and Lan Ying was willing to be scolded, and Chu Lilun had three big plans.
How did the German model achieve an unbearable energy transition war across the sea?
【 By Fu Guanqi 】
Environmental awareness, green energy production has always been regarded as the world's superior Germany, but because of a Ukrainian-Russian war, let the bright achievements behind the unfinished business, exposed to the world.
Is this general review of energy security, ignited by war, a crisis or a turning point for Germany, which rose from the ashes of World War II? Can Germany break through the status quo and turn into a new model for a sustainable economy in the future?
Or is it a death on the road to transformation? How can Taiwan find its future direction from this “energy transition war ”?
Just after Christmas, for many Dodd families, the most wanted Christmas gift may be a heat pump to make the whole family better through the winter.
Unlike the tens of millions of domestic heating systems in Germany that still use natural gas or oil as fuel, heat pumps are powered by electricity, which can be seen as "reverse air conditioning", which has a higher thermal conversion efficiency and symbolizes energy access at a lower price.
The energy crisis caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War has become a watershed in the price of energy in Germany.
The past dependence on Russia to import a large amount of cheap energy can not be returned, and the international carbon pricing mechanism is increasingly complete, which has led Germany to realize that only green energy is the way to reduce energy prices again.
The "Vision" team traveled to Germany, in-depth interviews and observed that the consensus that permeates German society today is: "There is not much time for the energy transition, and we must accelerate progress."
German Green Party MP Till Steffen, who visited Taiwan in 2022, told Visionary that "this' energy crisis' has accelerated the 'energy transition' and become a priority for the government."
German Economy Accelerates Greening, Renewable Energy Becomes National Security Foundation
This is not just a matter of paper. At the end of 2022, Germany inaugurated the country ’ s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal.
Germany decided last spring to build it, and it could be completed in a few months. “This is super fast for Germany, ” Steffen said.“ We need to scale up renewable energy at the same rate. ”
If you make decisions at the slow pace of your past habits, you won ’ t be able to achieve the goals you set. ”
In the past, far less ambitious than the Green Party ’ s liberal finance minister, Christian Lindner, has also designated renewable energy as “free energy ”, emphasizing its function to enhance Germany ’ s energy security and economic independence.
In this context, the two pillars of the energy transition, "switching to renewable energy" and "improving energy efficiency", have also become the top priorities of enterprises in the country.
Even the German machine tool manufacturer MAG, a pioneer of Industry 4.0, has re-examined energy conservation and is preparing to install solar panels on its plant.
“Many investment plans are being reevaluated because of higher energy prices, ” explains Sebastian Schoning, MAG ’ s head of Europe & Americas.“ Many investments that were previously unprofitable are now justified. ”
Solar panels that can be used for their own use and can be sold for electricity have been greatly shortened, and with tax incentives, large and small businesses and families have been selling out; installation technicians are so hot that waiting in line has become a new normal in the last few months.
Yen Chien-ho, general manager of the German branch of FSP, which has been operating solar energy storage business for more than six years from Taiwan, revealed that the green energy product line is already the main revenue of the company, and it is estimated that by 2023, solar related products can grow by 50%.
Quanhan also saw the business opportunities of green energy vehicles in Europe and decided to set up a new R & D center in Germany to attack customized charging devices.
Another Taiwanese company that has been working in Germany for ten years, Servo Press Co., Ltd. is also favored by European customers due to the fact that the product consumes about 50% less power than traditional presses, and is expected to double its business performance in 2023.
Germany has been driving the energy transition for decades. The driving force of this energy crisis is mainly reflected in the change of mentality and the re-calculation of business interests.
First, in terms of mentality, Germany used to import about 60% of its energy, and is more heavily dependent on cheap fossil fuels from Russia.
However, when energy is no longer so readily available, it has also greatly changed the German society's view of energy: in the past, everyone saw renewable energy as a threat to the stability of electricity supply, and now it is an important basis for protecting national security.
Second, in the eyes of enterprises, green energy has become the only energy source that can maintain long-term competitiveness.
"We all know that there is no future for fossil fuels," said Markus Rosenthal, director of government relations at the German Association for Energy Storage Systems. He cited the withdrawal of Allianz, Germany 's largest insurance company, and the active investment of major banks in decarbonization technology as examples. The effect of greening the German economy is greater than anyone else. "
Many may have heard of Germany ’ s Energiewende vision after the Fukushima disaster.
But such a concept has taken root in Germany ’ s anti-nuclear movement since the 1970s.
Since then, the Green Party movement has developed with the greatest political influence in the world.
GREEN ENERGY GREEN ENERGY CHALLENGE 1: Lack of work, insufficient capacity of Northern Power South
The Renewable Energy Act (EEG), which came into force in 2000, made Germany the first major economy to promote renewable energy.
Over the next 20 years, the proportion of renewable energy supply has grown significantly from 6% to 46%, and this remarkable achievement has become an international model case for promoting energy transformation.
However, the model of the period of peace seems to be unable to withstand the test of war, and Germany still fell into the dilemma of energy crisis in the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine and the weaponization of energy are certainly uncontrollable factors.
But the German society's caution against nuclear energy has also made Germany more dependent on relatively clean natural gas during the period of phasing out coal.
“We are over-reliant on fossil fuels and the development of renewable energy over the past few years has been too slow, ” said Malte Kuper, energy and climate policy researcher at the German Institute for Economic Research (IW).“ We must accelerate the correction of the structural errors of energy policy over the past decade. ”
Wilhelm Kiewitt, Director of Energy Economics at 50Hertz, a German power grid company, said: “We are vigorously promoting the construction of renewable energy, but we have not updated the grid infrastructure and have not ensured that the design of the electricity market is compatible.
As a result, the energy transition is not doing well. ”
Wind power located on the northern coast of Germany has so far been difficult to reach the industrial heartland of the south because the government has spent too much time coordinating with the residents of the south to accept high-voltage cables cutting through their beautiful landscapes.
The lack of capacity of Northern Power South has become a key missing piece in the German energy puzzle.
In addition, the political lobbying power of fossil fuel companies and strict regulations on onshore wind power have also slowed down the pace of transformation in Germany.
A few months ago, there was a demolition of nearby windmills to expand coal mines in North Wales. Although the efficiency of these windmills was low and they were expected to be rebuilt and upgraded, environmentalists criticized this as a retrograde policy in the midst of the energy crisis.
But the lack of urgency may be the key factor in Germany ’ s gradual deviation from its goal.
According to the German government ’ s 2021 forecast, all sectors, from energy, industry and agriculture, will not be able to meet the 2030 climate goals on the basis of current carbon reduction actions.
In terms of new technology, even if Germany began hydrogen energy research more than 30 years ago, it has not been able to enter the expansion.
Thomas Hilig, founder of THEnergy in Germany and a hydrogen energy consultant, pointed out that “we have studied hydrogen energy thoroughly and want to know everything. ”
But it may be possible to start expanding sooner.
Indeed, now is the time to launch the app. ”
The impact of high energy prices and increasingly extreme weather have become a reality in Germany, forcing the country, accustomed to sound and prudent action, to admit its mistakes and shortcomings and accelerate the progress of the energy transition.
The question is, is it in time?
Opening a recent German newspaper will find that a crisis is not necessarily a turning point.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for 99% of the total number of German enterprises, are struggling, and many companies may not be able to survive.
A survey of companies released by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) in the summer of 2022 shows that due to high energy prices, 1 / 4 of enterprises have completed the deployment of production reduction, 1 / 4 have reduced the scale of operations, and the remaining half have not yet begun to act, and are still thinking about the corresponding steps.
At present, the German government has finalized a nearly 100 billion euro energy bill subsidy plan, but Asha Maria Sharma, deputy director of digital services at the Foreign Trade and Investment Agency, believes that financial subsidies are only part of the solution, companies must think about how to use AI, data analysis and other technologies to save energy, in order to remain competitive in the future when energy prices are higher.
However, the resources and financial power of SMEs are not as good as those of multinational enterprises, and it is not easy to face inflation, interest rate hikes, the impact on the dollar exchange rate and energy prices, and to devote more efforts to long-term investment layout.
For example, when the Covid-19 pandemic spread, Alexander Krug, the public relations manager in charge of the Berlin Digital Center for SMEs, observed that about a third of SMEs were suspending or even cancelling strategic digital investments that would bear fruit in the medium to long term.
Moreover, in the global semiconductor shortage, many small and medium-sized enterprises are competing for similar chips with the government-supported renewable energy industry, as well as Germany ’ s powerful automotive industry.
In terms of money and resources, it is difficult to win.
Cooper said that in the long term, the energy crisis can be an accelerator of the energy transition.
But for an industrial powerhouse like Germany, which has a high proportion of energy-intensive industries, there is also a risk that “industry may decline before the green energy transition is complete. ”
Many homes waiting for solar panel technicians to install their doors also reveal another risk: lack of work.
“If you ask a business, what ’ s the biggest question about operations? Almost every time the answer is, ‘ We need people. ’ ”
Especially in the areas of green energy and digital technology, which are crucial to driving transformation, there is a particular lack of technical talent.
Many countries in Europe have a shortage of jobs.
However, in the manufacturing sector, more than 40% of enterprises in Germany are understaffed.
In comparison, France is less than 25%, and Italy and Spain are less than 10%.
Even the director of the German public broadcaster said recently: "We have to recruit people from all over the world... even the German level of the candidates is not so important."
As long as I work hard, I don ’ t worry too much that they can only speak a few words of German. ”
GREEN ENERGY GREEN ENERGY CHALLENGE 2: Higher energy costs, the United States proposed a bill to reduce inflation and siphon off international investment
The evolution of the international situation has also made the adverse situation worse.
The European war is still raging, the epidemic is still hazy, and the tensions between the United States and China have caused Germany, formerly the beneficiary of free trade and international supply chains, to reverse the situation and increase the pressure.
In particular, in August 2022, the United States passed the $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act, proposing a simpler and more attractive subsidy specification than the European Union, which is likely to siphon off more international investment at a time when Germany urgently needs to accelerate the expansion of renewable energy.
Some scholars wonder whether Germany will be able to complete the energy transition that it failed to achieve during a period of relative stability in the face of many challenges.
Only recently did Germany significantly expand public spending to help society weather the epidemic. To date, it has allocated more than 260 billion euros in response to the energy crisis.
This is almost 7% of national GDP, well above the EU average of 83 billion euros.
Meanwhile, Germany is still trying to boost its defense budget to 2% of GDP.
Even if the money is relatively abundant, it is also pressure.
Reinhard Biedermann, a professor in the Department of Global Political Economy at Tamkang University, pointed out that to develop enough renewable energy to replace traditional energy sources requires a lot of investment, manpower and even land, which Germany cannot do at the same time.
“The energy crisis is really an opportunity to expand renewable energy.
But turning the crisis into a turning point is not so simple.
Germany depends not only on imports of fossil fuels, but also on imports of renewable energy.
After the decline of the German solar industry, about 95% of the domestic solar cells are manufactured in China.
Nordex shut down Germany ’ s last wind turbine turnstile plant in June 2022, taking into account costs, causing observers to worry that the wind energy industry may be heading toward a fate similar to that of the solar industry.
Steffen said that due to competition from China, the German solar industry has lost a lot of intellectual and political power, and now is the time to reinvigorate the domestic solar value chain.
“We still have capacity in wind energy, but we can ’ t find a market in our country because Chinese products are cheaper, ” Steffen said.
In some ways, the energy crisis is just beginning.
As the Visionary team rode a high-speed rail at a speed of nearly 300 kilometers across the edge of Germany ’ s beloved forest, they were greeted by rotating fans, solar panels laid on the roof of the building, and high-voltage power towers that transmit electricity over a long distance.
This has gradually become a familiar daily scene in German society.
At this point, it may be seen as an important milestone in the final completion of Germany ’ s energy transition, but it may also be the starting point for the decline of German industry.
Looking back at the challenges of the pandemic, companies in Dodd all agree that agility, flexibility and flexibility are essential skills to survive in the current changing environment.
In particular, German industry contributes more than a quarter of the country ’ s GDP, which is higher than developed countries such as France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
But strengthening the high-priced “Made in Germany ” brand with performance, quality and stability is threatened by higher energy costs.
Steffen acknowledged that many Dodd companies use cheap Russian energy to produce and then sell their products at high prices to the U.S. and mid-market.
This is similar to the common pattern in Taiwan.
Taiwan 's green energy students > risk assessment first, transformation needs to think about the overall order
Sucheta Govil, chief commercial officer of Covestro, observed that energy is already a global issue and resource constraints are becoming the foreseeable future. “Even if you are in Asia, energy prices are still cheap, but price increases are reflected in the supply chain. ”
This advantage is diluted by rising raw material costs, even if Germany considers itself to be of excellent mechanical engineering quality. ”
Even if Germany has only recently begun to cope with the energy crisis, the effectiveness of the policy measures will have to wait for time to prove, and there are still lessons for Taiwan.
First, understand your energy security and independence and conduct a risk assessment.
Leonard believes that encouraging energy conservation by raising energy prices and using this income to invest more in renewable energy is worth considering.
“Explaining to people the higher energy costs they pay will help develop renewable energy and improve energy security. ”
Second, think about the sequence of measures for the energy transition as a whole, and put limited resources in the right place at the right time.
Hans-Joachim Ziesing, a former energy transition consultant for Germany ’ s Future Energy Plan, shared that one of Germany ’ s mistakes was to set a good goal and vision before developing policies to be achieved.
A better approach might be to take a practical approach, clarify the quantitative benefits that each policy can bring, and determine that cross-party consensus can be reached to move forward together.
It is also important to continuously monitor the performance of data and to be accountable to all departments.
Hiliger observed that Germany ’ s national hydrogen energy strategy in 2020 shows that officials have learned from the siting of renewable energy and energy transportation.
“Many projects take production and consumption into account as a whole, for example, by making good use of existing construction, refurbishing natural gas pipelines to become hydrogen pipelines, rather than placing electrolytic tanks next to wind power plants. ”
Preparing businesses and citizens to move away from fossil fuels
Finally, it is the continuation of the momentum of social change.
In the past, Germany saw natural gas as a “bridging energy ” to connect fossil fuels with renewable energy; now, losing its main source of natural gas imports, it has had to restart coal plants and lease liquid-gas receiving stations.
After doing so, it may be harder to get rid of them in the future.
Ideally, when the hydrogen energy market matures, Germany can renovate this batch of liquid natural gas receiving stations into hydrogen energy receiving stations.
But the two are different energy sources after all, and the renovation will be another expense.
Whether it can be developed according to the plan is still uncertain.
After the government finalizes the energy subsidy policy, from the beginning of 2023 to April 2024, 80% of the bill will be protected by the price cap, and users will only pay 20% of the current price.
This will change people ’ s interest.
How to make good use of the incentive mechanism to encourage society to continue to promote energy conservation and transformation at the household, business and infrastructure levels is also a big test.
Although Taiwan, which has a higher industrial share than Germany, has yet to personally feel the waves of the European energy crisis, it will be crucial to be as prepared and adapted as possible to the future of higher fossil fuel prices before the price protection umbrella for long-term contracts ends.
Read more articles from Visionary Magazine:
Green energy forward 1 〉 towards the "hydrogen republic" Germany still has to pass three points
CES Taiwan Factory Attack 〉 Honghai, Hongda Power Login, Meta Universe Welcomes God 's Teammates
Thunder Tiger shares rise 1.9 times a year! Dong Za reveals the 8-year transformation plan from toys to drones
Extended reading
2023 Taipei International Book Fair / German author Katrina shares with her children that "the one who is not afraid to lose is the winner"
Snooker / Lin Yun-ju confirmed to join the official website of the Japanese T League: Assassins from Taiwan
Q: You can also comment on the Chinese government?
Dictatorship is well known: Could Germany have prevented Hitler from coming to power?
Related News
Green energy forward 1 〉 towards the "hydrogen republic" Germany still has to pass three points
For a long time, hydrogen energy, which can achieve zero carbon emissions, has been called the “fuel of the future. ” With the increasing global climate change and the rising price of fossil fuels, hydrogen has become an urgent national agenda.
Is the future really coming?
Can Cryptocurrencies Become International Clearing Currencies After Gold and US Dollars?
Is Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies likely to become the currency of international settlement? After the many crashes in the currency circle in 2022, and the currency price has dropped sharply, many people will immediately shake their hands and say, absolutely not!
Perhaps you will be more aware of the significance of international clearing currencies, digital innovation, and cryptocurrencies in the new era.
CES Taiwan factory attack 〉 Honghai, Hongda Power Login to the Yuan universe to welcome God 's teammates
Taiwan 's mature and sophisticated electronic supply chain is not absent in the formation of the internal meta-universe. How can the two major companies advance the future of the car and the meta-universe of Honghai Group MIH?
Thunder Tiger shares rise 1.9 times a year! Dong Za reveals the 8-year transformation plan from toys to drones
Thunder Tiger Technology, which started out as a remote control model, actually jumped to become a popular military stock in recent days, and the stock price in 2022 increased by 1.9 times a year! Behind this, there is the transformation plan of Chairman Chen Guanru in the past 8 years.
Thunder Tiger accepted the "vision" interview, how on earth did they make toy models, gorgeous into the military defense industry?
Small children, a year of soldiers double hit the enterprise shortage worse
With the severe shortage of children in Taiwan, and the extension of military service, it can be predicted that the workforce will be greatly reduced in the future, and various industries will face the impact of job shortages.
How did the German model achieve an unbearable energy transition war across the sea?
Environmental awareness, green energy production has always been regarded as the world's superior Germany, but because of a Ukrainian-Russian war, let the bright achievements behind the unfinished business, exposed to the world.
Is this general review of energy security, ignited by war, a crisis or a turning point for Germany, which rose from the ashes of World War II? Can Germany break through the status quo and turn into a new model for a sustainable economy in the future?
Or is it a death on the road to transformation? How can Taiwan find its future direction from this “energy transition war ”?
Product recommendation
udn Forum

Despite the challenges, Germany's energy transition is underway, with a focus on expanding the use of renewable energy sources and reducing the country's dependence on fossil fuels and nuclear power.

Title:

Content: Green hydrogen
Germany and the European Union have made progress in their hydrogen talks.
Europe – Germany ’ s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Climate Protection, Robert Habeck, said recent progress has been made in talks with the European Commission on hydrogen subsidies.
But the European Commission has not yet approved these subsidies, the EU said, and the aim of the talks is to develop "safeguards (...) to comply with European legislation on national and energy assistance".
Advertisement
Hydrogen energy is a dual role of clean and efficient energy storage carriers. By converting wind, solar and nuclear energy into hydrogen energy, renewable energy can be stored and transported on a large scale across seasons, becoming the best overall solution in the current new energy field.
Hydrogen energy storage solution is the ideal interconnection medium to promote the clean and efficient use of traditional fossil energy and support the large-scale development of renewable energy. It is the best choice for large-scale deep decarbonization in transportation, industry and construction.
Germany has the second largest installed offshore wind power capacity in the world (7.7 GW in Germany at the end of 2019) and aims to install 15 to 20 GW of offshore wind by 2030.
Germany is phasing out nuclear power by 2022 and coal-fired power by 2038, and is committed to the development of renewable energy, striving to increase the proportion of renewable energy in Germany's power generation structure to 65% by 2030.
Since the implementation of the nuclear policy, Germany's nuclear technology and nuclear industry have declined, and Germany has bet its future on the green hydrogen industry.
As with the development of renewable energy and the gradual realization of electrification, green hydrogen is a key component of the complete realization of a zero-carbon energy system.
Because in many transportation fields, such as aviation, shipping and heavy vehicles, it is not possible to directly use electricity for fuel substitution; some industrial processes also cannot directly use electricity, requiring hydrogen as a fuel raw material or for high-temperature operations.
Improving energy efficiency and developing renewable energy are prerequisites for this transformation process.
Since renewable energy already provides most of Germany ’ s electricity, and Germany has made progress in the electrification of transportation and industry, renewable electricity hydrogen production is the next logical step in achieving carbon neutrality. Given these conditions, green hydrogen provides further avenues of understanding for the transportation, storage and trading of renewable electricity; it allows the region ’ s renewable energy potential to be released and utilized on a global scale.
Der Spiegel reported in July that Germany wants subsidies for future power plants to be integrated into the EU ’ s decarbonisation plan, which would ensure faster approvals and more financial aid.
Share: