Renewable Revolution

The Official Explanation for the German Energy Transition


America's Power Plan 

By Bentham Paulos

 October 28, 2013

In a recent posting, John Farrell of the Institute for Local Self Reliance lays out three clear drivers for why Germans are going renewable at all costs.  He lauds their focus on bills (rather than rates), a clear long term energy policy, and the widespread participation in the energy economy facilitated by feed-in tariffs.

Another side of the coin is what the politicians think of the energiewende.  Critics abroad seem convinced that German leaders will come to their senses and change course on energy.  Based on what the leaders say in their official documents, these critics are likely to be disappointed.

First, some background.  There are two federal ministries responsible for energy, the Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and the Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi).  Until the recent election these were headed by Peter Altmaier and Peter Rosler.  (Rosler has resigned due his party's loss in the recent election.)



With near unanimous support, the German parliament adopted legislation in 2010 that sets ambitious targets for carbon reductions, renewable energy and energy efficiency, and commits to a phase-out of nuclear power.  According to Altmaier, the environment minister for the Merkel Administration, “this is unprecedented and brings to an end decades of public debate in Germany.”

While much international attention is paid to the rapid growth of solar energy and the phaseout of nuclear power, the legislation is a comprehensive energy policy, covering transportation, heat, and electricity use across the whole economy.

German Energy Policy Goals


Source: Dr. Martin Schöpe, Federal Ministry for the Environment

Now that the political debate about whether is over, the issue now is how.  Most of the debate hinges on how to minimize costs.

The bulk of our energy is to come from renewable sources by the middle of the century,” writes former economics minister Peter Rosler.  “At the same time, Germany is to remain a competitive business location.  This requires a complete restructuring of our energy system.”  With typical German practicality, member of parliament Hans-Josef Fell has said, “This is not a problem, it is a task.”

Full article here:  http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2013/10/the-official-explanation-for-the-german-energy-transition#comment-127506

My comments to this positive, but overly conservative , article.
 A. G. Gelbert   

 October 28, 2013 

I agree that Germany has exactly the right rationale and motivation to transition to 100% renewable energy as evidenced by this statement, “A policy of responsibility for the future, policy that also takes account of the interest of our children and grandchildren, means that wherever technologically and economically feasible it is our duty to choose an alternative form of energy supply.” .

However, I do not agree that the transition must be so slow (100% STILL not reached by 2050).

The renewable energy marketplace is extremely dynamic, unlike the ossified fossil fuel and nuclear power marketplace that responds at a glacial pace to consumer needs and health.

Who would have said in the year 2000 that China would, in a mere decade, so completely overwhelm the solar panel market with mass produced, as well as reliable PV panels, that the price would drop vertiginously and the pace of implementation of this renewable energy technology would accelerate far beyond electrical grid penetration estimates?

Germany, as well as most other countries in the world, CAN be powered totally, not just in the electrical grid, but in transportation systems too, by renewable energy technology by 2030.

How? What is lacking now that makes erudite individuals like Dr. Martin Schöpe, Federal Ministry for the Environment for Germany, make such conservative predictions?

Large scale financing is what is lacking, not the desires of the people. The people want a 100% renewable energy powered civilization. The issue, as you pointed out, is not WHETHER, but HOW. I will add that, just as important, if not more so from a human civilization health perspective, is WHEN.

To answer the question of financing, we need to zero in on who is mainly responsible for profiting from the old dirty energy infrastructure. This group of fabulously wealthy individuals has a much higher responsibility to aid the renewable energy transition by paying civilization back for what they owe the 99% for the environmental degradation that polluting energy has brought the biosphere.

Simultaneously, these individuals that wield enormous financial leverage as well as political influence are dragging their feet because their fossil fuel and nuclear power assets turn into liabilities in direct proportion to the implementation RATE of a renewable energy powered civilization.

For this reason, the powerful 1%, who, as I have detailed in a recent blog, OWN over 80% of the polluting energy infrastructure, must be held responsible for footing the bill for 80% of the renewable energy transition as well.

This is vital because, otherwise, civilization will have to deal with the exponentially harmful effects on the biosphere of the snail's pace of renewable energy implementation favored by the elite while they orchestrate a transfer of responsibility for all the decommissioned fossil fuel and nuclear power plants to we-the-people. They profited from them. NOW they MUST pay the piper. It is in their best interests to do so but their greed is obviously interfering with logical thought.

It's our job to convince the 1% that the longer they stand in the way, while pretending otherwise, the greater the negative biosphere consequences, not just for the "little people", but for the elite as well.

A Renewable Energy Global Transition Tax of 80% of the net worth of the One Percenters may sound punitive and economically destructive but it is a simple cause and effect calculation that any serious analysis of our global economy would conclude is the BENEFIT the 1% have gotten and continue to get from polluting energy technology.

Tell your government officials, "The 1% must carry the burden of responsibility in order to justify their continued privilege and power".

It is the duty of the governments of the world to transition to a 100% renewable energy civilization, not some pie in the sky "nice" tree hugger thing to do. The free ride for the 1% is over. Let's make them pay their way instead of continuing to allow them to greedily force the rest of us to shoulder the lion's share of the renewable energy transition in order to allow them to cushion their polluting energy assets turned liabilities.

Article Here:

The 1%'s Responsibility to Shoulder 80% of the COST of a 100% Renewable Energy World

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2013/10/one-percents-planetary-assets-equals-80-responsibility-for-funding-a-100-renewable-


A. G. Gelbert   
 October 28, 2013 

Tax the One Percenters to accelerate a transition to a 100% Renewable Energy Powered civilization. We CAN do it by 2030 if we make those that profited so much from polluting energy assets pay their proper (80%) share of the cost of the new technology.

"Half of the world's richest one percent are Americans. According to Milanovic, the other half of the global one percent live in Germany, the rest of Europe, Latin America, and a "few Asian countries."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/04/americans-make-up-one-half-of-the-one-percent_n_1183713.html