By Sittipol @Adobe Stock
More Money = Less Progress
Doesn’t less progress sound like a great way forward? According to JD Vance, love him or not (and many do), Kamala Harris is clueless when it comes to energy policies. In that KH pushes net zero policies that would eviscerate America, she sounds like what most of us dislike about politicians.
Francis Menton, aka the Manhattan Contrarian, incriminates the Federal Environmental Agency (FEA). For those striving for a deeper understanding, go there to discover the many problems in achieving the zero-emissions utopian future:
Let’s Explore Renewables
Some 30+ years into this process, and (the FEA) is only up to barely over 50% of their electricity from “renewables.” And while they may claim that “wind power [is] by far the most important source in the German electricity mix,” in fact when you get a breakdown you find that wind and solar together provided well less than 50%. According to solar advocates Fraunhofer Institute here, in 2023 “biomass” provided some 42.3 TWh of Germany’s electricity (about 8%), hydro provided 19.5 TWh (about 4%), and “waste non-renewable” (I think that means burning garbage) provided 4.5 TWh (about 1%). That leaves under 40% for wind and solar.
If they keep building solar and wind facilities, caution our Manhattan Contrarian and expect batteries to be the backup. Do you know anyone who has calculated how much battery storage will be needed? No? Well, if Mr. Menon can’t find that somebody, he, like many of his astute readers, will assume they have not, either.
Manhattan Contrarian suggests visiting the website of a company called Fluence, an affiliate of German industrial giant Siemens. Siemens excitedly predicted a rapid expansion of grid storage in Germany:
“Storage capacity will grow 40-fold to 57 GWh by 2030.”
“Wow,” scoffs Mr. Menton, “a 40-fold increase?”
It may sound like a lot. But Germany’s average electricity demand is about 50 GW, so the 57 GWh of battery storage in 2030 will come to about 1 hour’s worth.
Competent calculations of the amount of energy storage needed to back up a predominantly wind/solar grid run in the range of around 500 to 1000 hours.
On his Website, Mr. Menton displays a chart of the growth of energy storage in Germany up to this year. (Please go to the Manhattan Contrarian to see just how badly citizens are being hoodwinked.)
Mr. Menton, speaking of doom and gloom, explains to unknowledgeable readers what happens when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind stops blowing.
The 10 GWh of storage that they currently have will last no more than about 10 minutes when the wind and sun quit producing on a calm night.
In short, Germany is a large and seemingly sophisticated country that is also completely delusional. with no sane voices anywhere to be heard, warns Mr. Smart Guy.
A demonstration project that fails spectacularly is the only thing with any hope of saving them.
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