Russian gas does not propel Germany



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An employee observes the model of a solar panel system at the InterSolar show in Munich, in southern Germany (CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP / Getty Images)

This month, during a public exchange at the NATO summit, Donald Trump accused Germany of being "controlled" by Russia because of its reliance on Russian gas – a Trump dependency of 70%

In total, natural gas accounts for only 23% of primary energy consumption in Germany – and only 13.5% of Electricity produced in power plants

Historically, Germany is much more dependent on domestic coal and nuclear energy to cover its energy needs, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel is phasing out coal and nuclear power, which suggests that natural gas will have to fill this gap. Germany There is almost no gas deposits and it has to import 92% of its gas, which has led many people to expect that the country will become more dependent Russian gas.

Indeed, last week's figures released by the Russian gas giant Gazprom seemed to support this expectation, showing a 12.2% increase in German imports of Russian gas in the first half of 2018 compared to the year before. ] But the first half of this year has also seen a much larger energy development. As of July 1, renewable energies have overtaken coal to become Germany's largest single source of energy in the gross electricity production mix

These latest figures from the largest lobby of the energy industry, the German Association of Energy and Water Industries. Renewable energies – mainly wind and solar – generated 118 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity in the first half of the year, compared with 114 kWh generated by lignite and coal (19659003), which means that renewables provide 36 , 3% of German electricity. far this year, while coal provided 35.1%. Gas provided 12.3%, just above the nuclear at 11.3%.

This is good news for renewable energy fans, who hope that Energiewende, the ambitious renewable energy policy that the country has put in place since 2010, a level of where it can easily replace the disappearance of coal and nuclear power.

But there are important reservations. The first, and most obvious, is that these figures relate only to the production of electricity – not for all of Germany's energy consumption, which also includes heating and transportation. Natural gas supplies about 23% of this total, while renewable energy provides only about 13%.

The other remark is that the encouraging new figures for renewable energy reflect the ambitious steps taken several years ago. In recent years, the expansion of renewable energy has been lagging behind. For example, the decisions to extend and modernize Germany's energy infrastructure to accommodate new sources of renewable energy have been blocked at the political level

The German energy mix is ​​much more complex than Trump's rant at the top of NATO would suggest. But there is reason to fear that the absence of recent measures on the renewable energy front means that the disappearance of coal and nuclear power will be replaced by Russian gas rather than by renewable energies – especially if the pipeline controversial Nord Stream II is built.

Perhaps these latest figures will convince the new German government that it is wise to make significant investments in upgrading the country's electricity infrastructure so as to make the country independent through renewable energy rather than building new pipelines to Russia. >

An employee observes the model of a solar panel system at the InterSolar show in Munich, southern Germany (1965) Earlier this month, during an exchange Public testing at a NATO summit, Donald Trump has accused Germany of being "controlled" by Russia because of its dependence on Russian gas – an addiction that Trump has stated was 70%.

In fact, Germany only has 34% of its natural gas coming from Russia, which is roughly equivalent to the amount it receives from Norway and the Netherlands -Low. In total, natural gas accounts for only 23% of Germany's primary energy consumption – and only 13.5% of the electricity produced in power plants.

Historically, Germany is much more dependent on coal and nuclear power. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel is abandoning coal and nuclear, leaving plenty to conclude that natural gas will have to bridge that gap. Given that Germany has virtually no gas deposits and needs to import 92% of its gas, many people think that the country will become more dependent on Russian gas.

Indeed, the latest figures released by Russia last week The state-controlled gas giant, Gazprom, seemed to support this expectation, showing a 12.2% increase in German imports of Russian gas to first half of 2018 compared to the previous year.

But the first half of this year also saw more important energy development. As of July 1, renewable energy has overtaken coal to become Germany 's largest single source of energy in the gross electricity production mix.

These latest figures from the largest lobby of the energy industry, the German Association of Energy and Water Industries. Renewable energies – mainly wind and solar – generated 118 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity in the first half of the year, compared with 114 kWh generated by lignite and coal (19659003), which means that renewables provide 36 , 3% of German electricity. far this year, while coal provided 35.1%. Gas provided 12.3%, just above the nuclear at 11.3%

This is good news for renewable energy fans, who hope that Energiewende, the Ambitious renewable energy policy that the country has put in place since 2010, a level where it can easily replace the disappearance of coal and nuclear power.

But there are important reservations. The first, and most obvious, is that these figures relate only to the production of electricity – not for all of Germany's energy consumption, which also includes heating and transportation. Natural gas supplies about 23% of this total, while renewable energy provides only about 13%.

The other remark is that the encouraging new figures for renewable energy reflect the ambitious steps taken several years ago. In recent years, the expansion of renewable energy has been lagging behind. For example, the decisions to extend and modernize Germany's energy infrastructure to accommodate new sources of renewable energy have been blocked at the political level

The German energy mix is ​​much more complex than Trump's rant at the top of NATO would suggest. But there is reason to fear that the absence of recent measures on the renewable energy front means that the disappearance of coal and nuclear power will be replaced by Russian gas rather than by renewable energies – especially if the pipeline controversial Nord Stream II is built.

Perhaps these latest figures will convince the new German government that it is wise to make significant investments in upgrading the country's electricity infrastructure so as to make the country independent through the Renewable energy rather than building new pipelines to Russia. [ad_2]
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