Having agreed that the 2020 CO2 emission cuts promised under the Paris Agreement are not achievable, the might-be German government has tentatively committed to even less realistic promises for 2030. This is political posturing as usual. When you can’t do something now, promise the impossible later.
The silliest promise at this point is that Germany will get 65% of its electricity from renewables in just 12 years. It presently gets just about 32%, so this would be a huge jump.
It is actually quite a bit more than a doubling, for two reasons. First, thanks to a strong economy the use of electricity is also growing strongly. Thus the promised 65% is of a bigger number than the present 32%.
Then too, a good fraction of the present 32% is from wood burning, which also produces CO2. So if the promised increase is to come just from wind and solar sources, it is more like a four-fold increase than a doubling. Doing this, or anything like it, in just 12 years is virtually impossible.
There is also promised a massive overall cut in CO2 emissions, which is certainly impossible because it would have to mostly come from the transportation sector. People have to drive and fly, and stuff has to move by truck and train.
Mind you the greens want to phase out the internal combustion engine, but that cannot possibly be done in 12 years. For that matter, shifting the transportation sector to electric power merely moves where the energy comes from, potentially doubling the need for electricity or more.. Properly understood, the numbers are simply prohibitive. You can’t get there from here.
But this is not even the German Government talking. It is just some wishful thinking from a marathon all night meeting of three parties who might or might not form the next actual Government.
The past, and still acting, Government of Germany has actually been a coalition of three distinct political parties. Following disastrous elections in September, these three are now somewhat reluctantly trying to form a new Government. It is by no means assured that this effort will succeed, so these wild 2030 climate promises are just talk at this point, headline fodder.
The wild card in this coalition game is the socialists. Their membership is reluctant to join with the two parties backing Chancellor Angela Merkel and this issue may not be decided for several months yet.
We would all be better off if the socialists stayed out for that matter. Their leader has called President Trump a “dictator,” saying “We are living in the world of (U.S. President Donald) Trump, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, (Turkish President Tayyip) Erdogan. We live in a world of dictators who make the world’s breath pause with their crazed ideas …”
These German socialists clearly have no understanding of the American Government. Their participation in the German Government to date has created many of Germany’s present problems. Here’s hoping for a saner Germany.
Socialism……Satan’s friendly welcome mat.
I could weep at the economic damage done by the Green snake oil salesmen. With wind and its varying power output and Solar reduced to only12% in the winter months how do these starey eyed supporters think the load can ever be balanced?
I recently inquired to CFact about the relative cost of wind and solar power. Some data was furnished on off shore wind turbines at equipment cost of approximately $60M a piece, not counting the installation and maintenance cost, which was estimated to double it to ~$120M. My original prediction was that they would never reach a ROI, anywhere ever without federal tax payer subsidies. So, I feel vindicated. The same thing with expensive solar and CO2 condensing plants.
They don’t care about a return on investment. If they did, they would not be socialists.
Brin, where have you been?
F https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/04a1450ae037e73ba3273d7e4d70bb7a37f8feee22c4eaa2e6f4d6005618e75e.jpg flat out rebuilding my Granite house with live coal fire places. Good to see you still here.
Well, let’s think. Socialist Karl Marx and his Communist Manifesto (1850s) were from the German Empire of the 19th century. Marx was expelled from most of Europe of that time and died alone and broke, mooching off of various socialist states, friends and followers. The perfect socialist.
So far, socialism hasn’t worked, anywhere, in spite of various modern day “successful” dictators, such as Castro and the guys in Venezuela, half of South and Central America, most of Africa and the Middle East, and of coarse most of SE and North Asia. Those that forget their past, will relive it in their future.
The commies will never give up. They have been trying to capture the US of A for over a century, beginning with America’s Ivy Leagues back in the late 1800s. After their spies were purged from the US federal bureaucracy by JFK, they had him murdered. But, they are there, again. The socialistic UN, EU and their minions and sheeple were going all out to capture the US but Donald J Trump, a successful business man, is in charge, now. And he’s showing them who’s boss.
The commies have successfully gained control of the Democrat party in the USA but they are losing China who is discovering how profitable capitalism can be. Amazing that the people so in love with the Democrat party today have forgotten who it was that assassinated the last Democrat to make sense for the country.
“Then too, a good fraction of the present 32% is from wood burning, which also produces CO2. So if the promised increase is to come just from wind and solar sources, it is more like a four-fold increase than a doubling. Doing this, or anything like it, in just 12 years is virtually impossible.” — what is the good fraction? How do they burn the wood? I would think burning wood, would produce more co2 than modern efficient coal plants>? I think the germans pay about 3 x as much for energy as we do….
Global warming idiots on parade.
Trump was elected president because fools were attempting to control the energy policy of the USA. It was a near thing. A fool won the popular vote.
This is crazy with what is going on right now.. The Sun is going into Maunder Minimum.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/191281407743811/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI-KCN4p0Cw
https://www.facebook.com/groups/191281407743811/
The Sun is going into a Modern Grand Solar Minimum – So what are you doing ???
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIAp_6FAXCY
It seems the river Thames froze over every year, ice skating and market trading took place so I suppose its time to find grandad’s skates and indulge in retail therapy again! We must also replicate our Cutty Sark and import everything we need by sea. Without oil the ergonomics would require a population reduction methinks.20376107_1268374899939206_462497464177550622_n.jpeg
Occasionally no ‘renewables’ are being produced, the fundamental flaw of this German ‘Energietraumwandel’. But they tell you ‘in average’. Similar saying ‘the heart beat was in average 70 but then unfortunately it stopped for a few hours’.
First subsidize and produce, then scratch your head, wonder how to store, transport, distribute? You have to give it to the Germans: perfection all the way, simply cart before the horse! Check it out at Agorameter https://goo.gl/s39zAo – every day.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/923586c0acdab1b292073437f0d2ab26bc4fb829e539ff4b09d4e589638f3ee8.png