[Updated] After Decades of Subsidies and Hysteria, Wind and Solar Power Contributes Just 6% Of Germany's Total Energy Requirements

When you search online for information regarding the penetration of “renewable” energy in Germany, you’ll get something like this:

Wow, Renewables make up 46% of their energy, that’s amazing! But it’s a bit misleading. What they mean that it’s 46% of their ELECTRICAL energy.

Many countries have hydro-electric power and Germany’s share is 4% of their ELECTRICITY total. In Germany, Biomass (wood) is 9% of their ELECTRICAL power. Does burning wood sound environmentally sound to you?

So, now that carbon-free Nuclear ELECTRICITY will be effectively gone in 2023, and replaced by coal or natural gas, only 37% of their ELECTRICITY is carbon-free (incl hydropower) — down From 50% carbon-free before nuclear was shuttered. Progress??

 Let’s look at the big energy picture in Germany. Refer to the Chart below:

Germany’s TOTAL Energy Picture 2022; 94% Fossil Fuels (After Nuclear Shut Down)

 From examining the Chart above, here’s the punchline: Wind and Solar are just a surprisingly paltry 6.1% of Germany’s TOTAL ENERGY CONSUMED. This after $100s of Billions of subsidies for solar and wind farms over decades.

Remember “Renewable” (Intermittent) Energy is a religion in Germany and has been for decades. And after $100s of Billions of subsidies for solar and wind, they fail to tell you that they must also subsidize CONVENTIONAL power plants because they are only partially-used but must remain online to “back up” the “Intermittents.” This is also necessary to keep all the conventional energy in business—since you need 100% backup to wind/solar.

That’s why German electricity costs 3X the cost of US power cost at $0.34/kW-hr (and rising). I read where, in one German state, the cost of power has been raised to $0.45/kW-hr immediately after all the Nuclear plants were shuttered. See below:

Europe Electricity Prices. The US Average Cost of Power has run $0.11 to $0.12 per Kw-hr in recent years (not sure what the average is in 2024)

Now that they’ve recently shut down all their remaining nuclear plants —while mandating electric cars, they’d better hurry up building something….. The truth is that those in power (no pun intended) don’t know what they’re doing.

What About US Renewables “Intermittents?”

From the Chart Below: “US Energy Consumption By Source and Sector, 2021,” Renewables are shown as 12.2 Quadrillion BTUs or 12% of our total energy sources. 73.5 Quads is our total end-use energy required.

Let’s say all 100% of that “renewable” energy is directly consumed by the “End-Use Sector” on the right (no thermodynamic losses like burning fossil fuels to make electricity). Then “renewable” energy is 12.2/73.5 x 100 or 16% of our end uses. Sounds good? It’s not bad.

US Energy Consumption by Sources and End Use and Sector, 2021

 

US Electrical Power Generation, 2021

But of that 12.2 Quads renewable, wind and solar (only) is 60% that or 7.3 Quads. Hydro and Biomass make up the remainder. Therefore, Wind and Solar is about 10% of USA’s total energy use. Good, I guess.

Therefore, as a rough estimation, Wind, Solar and Hydro is 16% of US total energy consumption  (12 Quads/73.5 Quads of end use). So, the US is actually doing BETTER than Germany with regard to wind and solar energy. AND we still have our Nuclear at about ~5% of our Total Energy1 (Germany today has ZERO Nuclear).

SO, TODAY, ABOUT 21% OF THE US TOTAL ENERGY IS CARBON-FREE THANKS TO NUCLEAR, WIND, SOLAR and HYDRO. Pretty good, but the path to Net Zero is impossible.

Remember, going forward to Electrical Generation And Grids and Must VASTLY Expand To Accommodate Transportation Loads if we are to convert even 50% of our transportation to electric. It’s not even be technically and practically feasible and it’s CERTAINLY not financially feasible. We’re talking $5+ Trillion and only 1/2 of our transport would be electric! For virtue signaling??

Net Zero is just crazy and it’s not going to happen because it’s not feasible, it won’t work and we can’t afford it.

1For Nuclear Energy, 8.1 Quads are input, but we’d expect only 40% of that power is delivered to end users due to thermodynamic losses. 40% of 8.1 Quads is 3.24 Quads of the 73.5 Quads total end use is 4.4% of the total.