Energiewende : Our dear German friends are starting to seriously break our balls(3)

Wind power in serious crisis in Germany- failure and dull for Energiewende

A pillar of Germany's energy transition, wind power is plunging investment and facing growing hostility from local residents, prompting Angela Merkel's government to hold a crisis meeting on Thursday.  After years of increasing capacity, the sector now accounts for one-fifth of Germany's electricity production, but suffers a crisis open to social and political ramifications.

The number of new turbines installed in Germany since the beginning of the year is down 82% year-on-year, according to the German Industry Federation (EBW). In 2018, Germany implemented an additional production capacity of less than half that of 2017. Tenders for new production capacity are not finding a buyer, a trend deemed "worrying" by the federal network agency.

The reversal occurred in 2016, when the government, deeming the sector mature and subsidies too heavy for the taxpayer, changed its aid. The amendment to the German Energy Law (EEG) abolished guaranteed income, and encouraged competition through tenders. It must be said that, before the adoption of the Renewable Energy Act in 2000, wind turbine operators have benefited from support ensuring them twenty years of guaranteed income...

Comment: very curious these so-called super competitive energies that collapse as soon as they are no longer massively subsidized!

Among the big missing in the sector is Senvion, a 4,400-employee company based near Hamburg, which announced at the end of August that it was shutting down, hit hard by the collapse of the German market in 2016, which accounted for 60% of its income. There had already been the bankruptcy in 2014 of the wind turbine manufacturer Prokon, which was financed by "citizen participation". This company had the distinction of having been financed by 75,000 small private investors. It had enticed them with an investment presented as "ethical" and accompanied by high interest rates (from 6% to 8%). This bankruptcy filing resulted in very large losses for many small savers and prompted the German government to ask the financial market authorities (Bafin) for stricter control of this type of investment.

In the months that followed, 26,000 jobs were cut in this sector in Germany, more than in coal, according to figures recently published by the Bundestag at the request of the left-wing Die Linke party

Comment: 1) It is not only in France that the crooks of wind power are rampant. 2) These massive job creations that the proponents of wind power promise us, they fail to say how fragile they are and... essentially unsustainable because they are related to massive subventions . Nothing compared with jobs in nuclear power plant !

The wind crisis "calls into question the success of the energy transition in Germany (???)," Hermann Albers, president of the German Wind Energy Federation (BWE), said in an interview with AFP. Germany plans to close its last nuclear power plant in 2022… and get rid of the highly polluting coal only  by 2038 ! Renewable energy, led by wind and solar, must continue to increase their power to account for 65% of electricity production in 2030, up from 40% today..

Comment: 1) Oh, damned crook !! There is no success of the energy transition in Germany, there is a massive and catastrophic failure, a total ecological and economic failure. Despite its 29,000 wind turbines, despite total support for renewable energy in Germany which reached 680 billion euros, Germany has not reduced its carbon emissions by one iota (yes, intermittent wind ("fatal"), must be compensated to the MW by pilotable production (gas or worse coal). In the first case, we have dependence on Russia in addition, in the second, pollution. Germany does not reduce its CO2 emissions per capita, which are still one third higher than those of France, yet German pay 70% more for their electricity than in France..

2) Replacing nuclear power with wind power is increasing greenhouse gas emissions, not reducing them!! The decision to exit coal very, very late is in these conditions perhaps an economic necessity for Germany, but a double ecological crime, for the fight against climate change, and for pollution, of which incidentally a part is shortening the lives of the French. Thank you for the climate, thank you for the pollution.

So it is not wind power that should continue to be subsidized, but the whole Energiewende that is to be thrown away!

Other problems for wind power: obsolescence, unmanageable peaks of production, nuisances

Especially since wind power has other problems. First of all, Germany will have to (yes already!) dismantle more than 5,000 old wind turbines that are difficult to recycle - the life of a wind turbine is not that of a nuclear power plant! And it is likely that the peasants who welcomed them to their fields will remain with their 20-meter block of concrete buried in their land. Then, for a decentralized production like wind turbines, the costs in terms of connection are very important and several thousand wind turbines are not even connected!

And then, the fact that.., little or no , all wind turbines in Europe, in any case in Northern Europe, turn at the same time, with the arrival of transatlantic disturbances, producing then in abundance an electricity ... that no one needs and is worthless.

However, due to the inadequacy of the German very high voltage network (THT) to transport wind power from the north to the consumption centres of the south, this wind power from the north of the country must use the Polish networks and Czech Republic, thus exporting the intermittent energy overflow; in 2011, this situation almost led to the saturation of the Czech electricity grid, triggering a real tension between the two countries.  To avoid the risk of a "blackout", the Czech Republic has warned that it is considering being able to block any new influx of renewable electricity that could run the risk to cause a breakdown in its network; to do this, the Czech network operator has decided to build a giant transformer near the border, designed to let in only the amount of power that the national network can handle; This transformer is due to enter service by 2017; Poland intends to do the same and install transformers on the border with Germany; the German government has appointed an ambassador in charge of this one file.

And again, the nuisances; and therefore the proliferation of complaints that greatly lengthen the deadlines and increase the price of projects, complain the crooks of wind power. These complaints most often come from conservationists and birds, or from local residents who wish to establish a minimum distance from homes in order to avoid nuisance. "Protecting our landscapes, people and animals": the AfD has made the fight against wind power one of its main campaign themes in regional elections. (Remember that in the Netherlands, the tension is such that the authorities have classified environmental movements hostile to wind turbines as terrorists). More than 600 citizen initiatives have flourished against new wind turbine installations and in the East

What solutions ?

Well, for the German authorities, it seems that it is to give in to the demands of the wind crooks: “to reduce regulatory constraints, and in particular the distances imposed on wind turbines compared to homes; Restore the income guarantee for wind farms and facilitate the installations by relieving legal constraints. The authorities will have to work to strengthen the acceptance of wind turbines by citizens..”

..

Well, let's see! By sending them green brigades?

Germany is sinking into the irrational and this is very worrying!  Its absurd Energiewende is a climate crime, a crime against humanity, a specialty in which Germany once had some special skills. 

Here, by the way, to fix the ideas, with 680 billion euros thrown in the wind production, Germany could have built 68 nuclear power plants of Olkiluoto-3 type (EPR). Well, for fun, because in fact a dozen would have been enough to provide them with abundant, economical, non-polluting and decarbonized electricity. Ecological and economic. For 70 years!

Dear German friends (2) a problematic relationship

A few things we do not bear anymore

The previous blog was intended to resume the lessons of french last elections, namely that the European Union and the Euro are likely to explode in the absence of radical change in European policy, if our German friends do not cease to want a Europe that is a Bigger Germany, to dominate it, to run it their way.. 

Let’s just compare  Dear Mutti, a lowbrow grocer, to those great German Statesmen, the two Helmut Kohl, recently deceased, and Schmidt!

A few examples of what went wrong

The Greek crisis: the subprime crisis (Hey, by the way, what about Deutsche Bank) has turned into the debt crisis of states, hitting heavily the European weak link that was Greece. Indeed, the systematic cheating of the public accounts in Greece (with the complicity of whom?), the inexistence of  a state worthy of the name in Greece, that  could not last and was threatening the European area – explosion was possible. Okay, had to hit fast and hard, and you did it.

But, as good protestant, you could grant no absolution and had to punish the sinner until he cries tears of blood. The  best evidence of this will to punish is that it led to decisions that were detrimental, not only for Grece, but for all of Europe. Your delays, your concerns in the implementation of the European stability mechanism, in the buying of national  state debts by the Central Bank have cost billions. Today, even while the IMF insists on the necessary cancellation of part of the Greek debt, you ‘re still delaying this measure, indispensable to a dying Greece... for the cause of German elections. It's shameful, it is contrary to the purpose – for god sake, how the Greeks could rebuild a State in those conditions?

Deficits: of course, a current account deficit, unreasonable and renewed year after year, is not tolerable, nor sustainable for a State. But finally, intra European trade is such that the deficit of your partners contributes heavily to the surplus which you are so proud of. In the end, if we are a European Community, the deficit of these European countries towards Germany ihas no more importance than that of Wyoming towards California, right? It's across Europe that we must judge the deficit-Are we a community or not ?

And then, in times of crisis and moreover, when  interest rates are at their lowest, deficit  is better than recession, right?

Finally, there are also political considerations. Can you remember ? , The reunification of Germany with parity between East and West marks was economically wrong, but politically inevitable. Kohl did it, we understood it, a good  German reunification was necessary for Europe And, due to convergence towards euro, we had to endure interest rates greater than we might have had.  Instead of defending foot to foot your immediate interests., you should think of political agenda. Kohl and Schmitt did !

Abandon of nuclear power, for purely demagogic reasons, with the reactivation of coal or even lignite plants: this  was a crime against the economy (a more expensive energy), against global warming, against public health (thanks for the episodes of pollution). You have done much worse than this poor Trump, with its coal mines in Wyoming which no sound industrialist would  operate ! You did much worse, but no one seems to notice. Bravo ! Let’s agonize Trump !

Immigration : one day, you encouraged all refugees to immigrate and to come to Germany. Orban then decided to let all migrants who were piling up in the Hungarian stations, oddly, you were not pleased at all. Then you wanted to decide which country will host refugees and how many ( who gave you the power to do this ?).  Finally, sheepishly, you entered into an agreement of sequestering refugees with the Turkish neo-sultan, and now we depend on him, threatening to open the valves whenever he dislikes something (an article, a song, a sermon). Brilliant !

But who gave you a mandate to lead all  European Nations immigration policy? We understand that your catastrophic demography (by the way, why in a  so well governed country?)  incites you to encourage immigration, but this isn't the choice of everyone.

Your policy of competitiveness by low cost: the average hourly wage in France and Germany is about the same. But inequalities are much stronger in Germany. While some high technology sectors remained protected, in many others,  you ‘ve given up your strong industrial traditions for a policy of low quality, low wages. You have 22.5% of “working poors” against 8.8% in France (21.3% in England, 3.8% in Belgium). Your policy has not done miracles, it has simply turned unemployed into poor workers. You have even invented reverse auction -  work assignments at least asking. This is a policy that values work! You have completely unbalanced markets, french pork producers facing your giant abattoirs populated by overexploited Polish workers know something about.

This policy of competitiveness by cost, it's really the reverse of a model who could rally the majority of Europeans, the Rhine Capitalism Model- it’s the opposite of what made the reputation of your industry. You also had to cheat, and as you don't do things by halves, it gives Volkswagen. Focusing on competitiveness by cost instead of innovation, you  are now scandalized to see the Chinese taking the jewels of your industry, your robot manufacturers  and you want to limit their investments. But now, they are the  real industrialists!

And this policy of social crush,  of competitiveness by cost, and especially wage costs, you want to impose it on all over Europe !

And let’s speak of your  bulldozer way, the way you perverted the European Institutions, to impose your interests. Thus, for the catastrophic "liberalization" of the electricity market, while EDF was exploding, you managed to sell the idea that there was no monopoly in Germany, since there was a public distributor by Länder. Bravo! And it's just a small example.

No, that cannot and will not last for long !  It's five to midnight, five years before the explosion of the Euro and the European Community. You really have to  change, quickly and deeply. To change of Merkel and of policy

Good  election year !

Dear German friends (1) a problematic relationship

A problematic relationship

I quite like Germany, I like your serious and your relaxation, I appreciate your cities and your culture - I was still in Berlin a few days ago. One thing amused me: your newspapers apparently had some trouble to translate "La France insoumise" , they left in quotes, not translated, and explaining that insoumise  was something like rebel, but not quite. This concept, you obviously have some problems with !

Well, problems,  there are many others. You rejoice the victory of Emmanuel Macron, thinking that he will be a loyal liberal support of your Europe. Do not rejoice too quickly. Victory of Emmanuel Macron was not a victory for supporting his program, it was a victory of fear, fear in the first round of left-wing voters who feared a second round Le Pen Fillon, and voters on the right that were alarmed with a second round Mélenchon Le Pen; and the second round, the same. - but with a third of voters ready to leave the Euro and the European Community. Logically, the French have given their President the means to govern; but the record abstention shows clearly that there is no majority, no agreement to realize this type of reforms you like so much and urge us to make, such as the demolition of the labour code.

Don't be fooled. A large part of the french people voted against the Euro and the European Community; It is not that they are ready to leave  with a light heart ; even, I am afraid that , if asked the question, they would say that's not so much leave the European institutions they would like, but to evict you, as you have once again managed to be unbearable . And as for those who voted Macron, don't think they appreciate you a lot more -  a number of them have done so because they believe or hope that he will finally adopt a firmer attitude towards you.

Still, I don't think I am anti-German. My name may let think that I belong more to the Mediterranean sphere, but, by the way, I have at least as much Alsatian blood and family as southern. And for me, but not just  for me, I think it's five to midnight, that these really are the last five years that we give us and you to change radically the European policy.

 Otherwise, bye, bye Euro and European Community, or what will remain of it.  Because it will be better all destroy and leave it to the next generation to rebuild on a better basis.

One of your great statesmen just died. Helmut Kohl (and Helmut Schmitt before him) had a true political vision, they really make Europe  progress- and sometimes against the advice of economists. They knew, they had experienced it in their flesh, that politics has its own domain and  cannot be reduced to economy. They knew the importance of building a Europe where European Nations would live in harmony, in good society, in equality and would increasingly share a common future. 

What a contrast with Angela Merkel, with your Mutti, a lowbrow grocer, which sees Europe as a bigger Germany, defending, oh how effectively, German interests ; Which is normal since you are the best of the Europeans, those that everyone should imitate, oh how, confident and dominating are you again.  Angela Merkel has managed that, again, you are hated, and if European construction stops, your historical responsibility will be overwhelming.

It also seems to me that it is she who killed Helmut Kohl politically, and that he did not think much of her.

What’s wrong? Some answers in  next blog.

A clue. I've been among those who believed in the necessity of the Euro for political reasons, because I couldn't stand this apostrophe from the  Nixon Treasury minister : "the dollar is our currency, but it’s your problem." 

Well, you tell us now :  "euromarck is our currency, but it’s your problem."

It won't do!