Saturday, August 22, 2020

Talking Wind Energy

Back in the spring of 2000, the German political system built something called the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG (German: Emeueruerbare-Energien-Gesetz)).

The EEG was a device to auction and sell energy....manufactured by renewable sources....thus making profit for the risk-takers of renewable energy.

In simple terms, you built wind-generators.....sold the power, and made a profit.

Every couple of years....it was modified.  The political folks were happy....the environmentalists were happy, and the risk-takers for wind generators were happy.

Six years ago.....the Chancellor's crowd made a decision to modify the EEG....basically creating a dead-end eventually....for the wind risk-takers.

N-TV brought up this topic today.  There's some folks discussing the impact.

You see....when you put up a generator, it has a life-cycle, and then it gets taken down.  Once down.....it doesn't mean you have one automatically go up.  So presently, more are being taken down, than being put up.

You can do the math and figure over the next decade, unless something occurs to correct this problem.....the renewable energy numbers will be crap, and the politicians will be in deep trouble.

Fixing this?  You'd have to go and create a method where the risk-takers will get more money, either via the consumers, or the government.

Happening in 2020 or 2021?  Kinda doubtful at this point.  There is a election in 2021 but jobs are the number one issue.

If the trend continues on for the next five years?  At some point, some guy will add the numbers up and project by 2030.....black-outs will be common unless you build alternate power sources, or go back to the wind-generator solution. 

All of this having a cost on the German consumer?  Yep....they may not realize it.....but renewable power has a cost issue.

2 comments:

Daz said...

Actually the payback cost of wind is 3 years and the life cycle 15-25 years. They just need to stop subsidising non - renewable sources and then we'll find it leaps ahead just like double glazing costs in california

Schnitzel_Republic said...

I think their issue (since 2018)...as the older generators are taken down...it isn't a one-for-one replacement cycle, or even a ten to one replacement cycle. A lot of villages are hyped-up to disapprove new placements. So presently, I'd say we are at peak wind-energy, and will be going (year by year) down a percent or two. Part of this is the profit margin, but the other problem is negative attitudes by the public on generator 'farms'. The new rule is that you have to put up the newer generators a km away from 'civilization' as a minimum. For most villages, that's not enough.