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Renewables Threaten German Economy & Energy Supply, McKinsey Warns In New Report
Forbes ^ | 09/06/2019 | Michael Shellenberger

Posted on 09/06/2019 1:41:46 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

A new report by consulting giant McKinsey finds that Germany's Energiewende, or energy transition to renewables, poses a significant threat to the nation's economy and energy supply.

One of Germany's largest newspapers, Die Welt, summarized the findings of the McKinsey report in a single word: "disastrous."

"Problems are manifesting in all three dimensions of the energy industry triangle: climate protection, the security of supply and economic efficiency," writes McKinsey.

In 2018, Germany produced 866 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, a far cry from its goal of 750 million tonnes by 2020.

Thanks to a slightly warmer winter, emissions in Germany went down slightly in 2018, but not enough to change the overall trend. "If emissions reductions continue at the same pace as they did over the past decade, then CO2 targets for 2020 will only be reached eight years later, and 2030 targets will not be reached until 2046."

Germany has failed to even come close to reducing its primary energy consumption to levels it hoped. McKinsey says Germany is just 39% toward its goal for primary energy reduction.

Despite much hype, Germany still generates just 35% of its electricity from renewables. And if biomass burning, often dirtier than coal, is excluded, wind, water and solar electricity in Germany accounted for just 27% of electricity generation in 2018.

But McKinsey issues its strongest warning when it comes to Germany's increasingly insecure energy supply due to its heavy reliance on intermittent solar and wind. For three days in June 2019, the electricity grid came close to black-outs.

"Only short-term imports from neighboring countries were able to stabilize the grid," the consultancy notes.

As a result of Germany's energy supply shortage, the highest observed cost of short-term "balancing energy" skyrocketed from €64 in 2017 to €37,856 in 2019.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Germany; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: energy; germany; greenenergy; mckinsey
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1 posted on 09/06/2019 1:41:46 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

FROM McKINSEY:

If Germany continues to phase out both coal and nuclear, Germany will lose “the equivalent of 43% of total secured output in 2018.”

To stabilize the electricity grid and avoid becoming too dependent on imported natural gas, Germany is expanding coal mining to the Hambach forest, where environmental activists were arrested last September.

Meanwhile, local communities and environmentalist have successfully blocked the building of transmission lines from the windy north to the industrial south.

“By the first quarter of 2019, just 1,087 kilometers of the planned 3,600 kilometers of power lines were completed.” At that rate, McKinsey notes, “the 2020 target will not be reached until 2037. “

German consumers have paid dearly for the energy transition. German electricity prices are 45% above the European average, McKinsey reports. Green taxes account for 54% of household electricity prices.


2 posted on 09/06/2019 1:43:24 PM PDT by SeekAndFind (look at Michigan, it will)
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To: SeekAndFind

3 posted on 09/06/2019 1:45:10 PM PDT by SeekAndFind (look at Michigan, it will)
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To: SeekAndFind

Surely they mean “threatening” to improve it right?


4 posted on 09/06/2019 1:46:49 PM PDT by rktman ( #My2ndAmend! ----- Enlisted in the Navy in '67 to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?)
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To: SeekAndFind

5 posted on 09/06/2019 1:47:50 PM PDT by SeekAndFind (look at Michigan, it will)
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To: SeekAndFind

6 posted on 09/06/2019 1:55:01 PM PDT by Meatspace
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To: SeekAndFind

One of the big lignite-fired German generating stations still stands within clear view of the beet field where my uncle’s infantry company got shot up pretty badly in late November of 1944. Kind of weird to see Jerry still using it.


7 posted on 09/06/2019 1:57:23 PM PDT by niteowl77
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To: SeekAndFind

Epic fail.


8 posted on 09/06/2019 2:00:29 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

For Your Interest.


9 posted on 09/06/2019 2:02:42 PM PDT by BeauBo
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To: niteowl77

Good—Let the Krauts suffer for their idiot beliefs just as they were suckered by old Adolph long ago.


10 posted on 09/06/2019 2:05:25 PM PDT by Forward the Light Brigade (Into the Jaws of H*ll Onward! Ride to the sound ovil.f the guns!)
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To: SeekAndFind
This really highlights the folly of the green energy movement

It’s entirely based on ideology and irrational goals. Trying to build an industrial economy on green energy constitutes a massive and criminally irresponsible mis allocation of the only truthfully scarce and vanishing resource in today’s world economy - productive discretionary working capitol

This is going to end very badly but you just cant reason with the true believers of the church of green energy. They will have to learn the hard way what is meant by the term “ wailing and knashing of teeth” used by another church that very few have faith in these days

11 posted on 09/06/2019 2:10:55 PM PDT by rdcbn ( Referentia)
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To: BeauBo

What country did you say you live in and then we will compare?

You did have the balls to tell me and I forgot?


12 posted on 09/06/2019 2:18:08 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
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To: SeekAndFind

Additional problems on a couple of fronts: first, the general phase-out of nuclear power and second, the resistance to the Nord Stream pipeline construction due to a (perfectly justified, IMHO) concern that it would make Germany overly dependent on Russian natural gas. That’s a real pinch and something has to give. Easiest might be to adjust the goals to something a little more attainable given the constraints above but the Greens aren’t likely to allow that to be politically acceptable. Scrubbers for the coal generation are effective but very expensive to retrofit, more easily installed as a function of new construction which itself is politically unacceptable, as is a moratorium on nuclear plant shutdown. These are not really technical problems, they’re political ones.


13 posted on 09/06/2019 2:28:59 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: BeauBo

Must be very bad if you don’t want to post what country you live in.

How about continent?


14 posted on 09/06/2019 2:34:10 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
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To: SeekAndFind

You can’t run a modern technological society and economy on Green energy. Convince me otherwise.


15 posted on 09/06/2019 2:34:49 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

I was not taking a dig at you, just thought it would be of interest to you.


16 posted on 09/06/2019 2:41:46 PM PDT by BeauBo
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To: BeauBo
poses a significant threat
I'll let you know when the serious threat, becomes real.
Right now I am sitting here with the fan blowing on me.
Like much of the whole summer.
17 posted on 09/06/2019 2:45:26 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
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To: SeekAndFind

Look. This is simple. Solar panels and batteries work

Better to use utility as your battery. And just not pay them

I just rewired a 28 kw DC system. Installed 2002. The three SMA Inverters hit over 21KW. AC Almost 20 years Later. Nuff sed


18 posted on 09/06/2019 3:05:22 PM PDT by Truthoverpower (The guvmint you get is the Trump winning express !)
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To: rdcbn

“...They will have to learn the hard way what is meant by the term “ wailing and knashing of teeth”...”

And lamentations of their women.


19 posted on 09/06/2019 4:43:57 PM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus mane)
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To: SeekAndFind

It’s great when a worthy competitor goes on drugs...Dow Jones!


20 posted on 09/06/2019 4:46:12 PM PDT by If You Want It Fixed - Fix It
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