Germany reaches 20 per cent renewable power

[SuperMono]

Interesting article and thoughts on the direction taken by Germany on PV feed-in tariffs.

Why Germany's approach to solar photovoltaics is changing the world's energy equations (http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2011/11/02/3354208.htm)

[bee utey]

Just like here the right wingers are furious at the grid costs of variable output renewables and expensive feed in tarriffs. And with the GFC Mk2 funding is drying up.

[isuzurover]

I just got back from Germany, the number of rooftop PV systems is quite impressive.

New houses/buildings (and possibly even extensions to existing buildings) must be powered by a certain percentage of renewables otherwise they will not be approved.

Unlike some parts of AU, the power authorities seem more than able to cope with the changes to the grid.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Don't you just love the editorial comments like:
"But, even with a hefty carbon price, it is unlikely that the market on its own would deliver low-carbon power."
"Some argue that governments don't have a role in picking the economy's winners and losers, and that the market should decide which technologies come out ahead in the race to decarbonise the power system."
"At a time of economic hardship, taking such risks would not only provide jobs, but would also offer potentially huge economic rewards."
Flys in the face of the rubbish that has been eminating from Canberra lately.

[isuzurover]

Just like here the right wingers are furious at the grid costs of variable output renewables and expensive feed in tarriffs. And with the GFC Mk2 funding is drying up.

As far as I am aware the feed in tariffs have been guaranteed for ~30 years. The German economy is extremely strong (at present at least).

[wagoo]

This 20% figure Steve. Is that the % of all power consumed? Or is it the so called nameplate theoretical capacity of the wind turbines and Solar farms?
The way I understand it, most of the UK is sinking under the weight of hundreds of wind turbines, yet they still have to have conventional base load power stations cranked up at full capacity and also purchase power from France, because when they are working, wind turbines generally produce well below their rated nameplate capacity. I've read that on average,Alternative energy supplies less than 2% of the UKs energy needs. And during the big Freeze of the 2010/2011 Christmas/New Year period where wind turbines couldn't operate, that % fell to Zero.
Bill.

[clean32]

Wago, please don’t assume that Germanys pollies are as air headed as Australian pollies. The average German is more versed in current affairs than the average Australian, to the point that if a pollie or party was to provide misleading or unfactual information to the public. Well they would no longer be a pollie. where in Australia the minister against every thing and the PM both seem to belch forth the same volume of misleading rubbish, which seems to be picked up by the average sawdust headed loud mouth aussie who in turn belches forth the same rubbish.


if the Germans said 20 % then that means 20% simple, It has no need for a Abbot flame casting some shadow for no there reason to fuel an unjustified negativity about nothing.

As for England? What has that got to do with Germany, if you hadn’t slept that day at school you would know that they are different countries, in fact they don’t even sit on the same bit of dirt.

But back to Germany. Regardless of if it makes economic sense in the way Australia thinks of it, it is good economic sense for Germany to do this.

Diesel, we have all been told that diesel pricing goes up in the European winter because the demand increases because the Germans ( and others us it for heating) well that’s rubbish. Europe is heated by gas, Russian gas actually.
This gas is piped through the Ukrainian which in case you don’t know is not apart of Russia. Not even very friendly with there former occupiers.

if we think back only a couple of years (4) Russia picked a fight with the Ukraine over pricing ant turned off the tap leaving Germany with 110 days reserve in the middle of winter. The sink from Europe wasn’t political is was the odor of 200 million Kruts simultaneously dropping a load.
Now no heating in wither, big deal you think? well turn of the heading and Berlin was predicting 1500 deaths a day for the first 30 days 2000 for the next.
Want to know why the Germans are so hot on other power alternatives?? Read the above.

[wagoo]

Mr Clean, once the effects of the Christmas booze wears off you might realise that the UK is not just England! And if you weren't trying to be pedantic you would also know that I gave the UK as a prime example of a country that has virtually bankrupted itself chasing pie in the sky BS renewable energy targets. Want another one ? Try the economic basket case known as Spain.And we'll be next if this Brown/Gillard pathetic excuse for a government has their way.
What's Deisel got to do with the price of fish in Mongolia? I didn't mention Deisel in my post:confused:
Bill.

[clean32]

Thank you for your concern over my alcohol consumption, I got over my last hangover about 18 years ago while some good sizable hunks of soviet depleted uranium was being extracted from my A S S.

but back to the UK, I would hardly think that pommyland would be a good example as an attempted suicide by renewable energy targets, since they have done very little in this regard ( relatively speaking) compared to Germany. There are a number of factors that work against the UK in this respect. That obvious lack of good power producing sun days is first, wind or suitable windmill sites tend to be in more remote areas, the windmills themselves are not the problem is getting the power back to the user. Its not like SA where your just digging a trench in sand.
however since you seem to have a very advanced economic knowledge, and a crystal ball like knowledge of the UKs pending bankruptcy. Or so you think! But even a brain the size of a flee knows that the UKs economic wows are centered around its social spending and it declining or loss of market share in the backing sector, mainly to Ireland and before that Greenland ( or Iceland)

As for Mongolia, thank for bringing this up. Although Mongolia is still in essence a land locked communist country ( you need to live there for a bit to understand) there winter heating is also based around Russian Gas. But since the decline of the CCCP and the locked in low price Mongolia pays for this gas ( when they pay) putinland and Co seem to have forgotten about things like maintenance. The leading Mongolian fathers have decided that importing a big bunch of pommy windmillers is a good idea, which is a plan that is just running ahead at the rate of 4 new big air choppers a day at present.

MB Mongolian winter = -55 deg with a 20knt wind, any idea what the windchill factor is of that or how more efficient windmills become when its cold??

as for the price of fish, well that is a hard one, had to skpe a mate, well actually his wife. about 180 tugrik for a 800grm hook fish, which i think is a sort of small salmon.