Wind Power News: Germany
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
German shift from nuclear a Herculean task -execs
Progress in Germany’s energy shift away from nuclear power is painfully slow, hampered by what energy sector executives say are inadequate incentives and a lack of strong investors, suggesting it will be Herculean task. Germany, prompted by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami last year that caused a disaster at Japan’s Fukushima plant, decided to abandon nuclear power by 2022, leaving a large energy gap to fill. Almost a year on, not much has happened to develop alternatives, executives of . . .
German green power shift costly, unneighbourly — RWE
Germany’s ambitious plan to transform its energy generation in favour of renewable sources is too costly and will place great strains on its neighbours, the chief executive of German utility RWE said on Tuesday. The country’s fast closure of nuclear plants and move to wind and solar was already stressing transmission networks in neighbouring EU countries, Juergen Grossmann said in an address to the annual energy conference of daily newspaper Handelsblatt. This strain was especially marked when high wind speeds . . .
Stress on the high seas; Germany’s wind power revolution in the doldrums
The construction of offshore wind parks in the North Sea has hit a snag with a vital link to the onshore power grid hopelessly behind schedule. The delays have some reconsidering the ability of wind power to propel Germany into the post-nuclear era. The generation of electricity from wind is usually a completely odorless affair. After all, the avoidance of emissions is one of the unique charms of this particular energy source. But when work is completed on the Nordsee . . .
Polen gefährdet deutsche energiewende
[Poland threatens German energy policy – Border blockade of green electricity: The Polish network operator fears an overload and wants to prevent the import of wind and solar power from Germany. ... "When excess wind and solar power can not be discharged abroad, then the German power grid becomes unstable," warns the head of the German Energy Agency (Dena), Stephan Kohler. ... Kohler is now demanding an accelerated expansion of power lines from eastern to southern Germany.] Grenzblockade für Ökostrom: . . .
No fuel like an old fuel: Germany’s nuclear reaction provides a win for coal
As they say in German, ”Angst ist ein schlechter Ratgeber” – fear is a bad counsellor. Had German politicians kept this proverbial wisdom in mind, their reaction to the Fukushima nuclear disaster would have been different. Before the decision to switch off their country’s nuclear power stations in a hurry, they should have considered the consequences for energy security, electricity prices and carbon dioxide emissions. Political processes in Germany are notoriously long and winding. A minuscule increase in welfare entitlements . . .
TSO TenneT tells Germany: ‘No more offshore wind links’
TenneT has told the German government it will be impossible to build further offshore transmission links without major regulatory changes, raising serious questions about the timeline of the country’s offshore wind programme. Dutch-German transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT, which bought northern Germany’s high-voltage grid from E.ON in 2009, is legally — and exclusively — required to build subsea electrical links to offshore wind farms in the German North Sea as and when they move into the water. However, the potential . . .
Duitse molen nekt ontsnapte Artis-pelikaan
[The young pelican who escaped from the Artis zoo in August is dead. He flew into a wind turbine in Germany. ... Since his escape the pelican was closely monitored. Until recently, he was at the Kagerplassen in Sassenheim (see video, below). He had been surviving well, and so was difficult to catch.] De jonge pelikaan die in augustus uit Artis ontsnapte is dood. Hij is in Duitsland tegen een windmolen gevlogen. Nadat de pelikaan was gevonden, is hij voor . . .
Renewable power plants vulnerable to mass shut-downs
Many renewable power stations in Germany could go offline simultaneously in the event of major fluctuations in the power grid. The government is said to be planning a revamp of thousands of wind, hydropower and biogas plants. Citing documents from Germany’s economy ministry, news magazine Der Spiegel said the government is currently holding consultations on the shutdown issue, which could result in an across-the-board blackout. Major frequency fluctuations in the power grid can overburden older renewable power plants, causing them . . .
Is Germany’s green energy plan failing?
Germany has set higher targets for renewable energy usage than any other industrialized nation. Angela Merkel’s government plans to decommission its nuclear plants by 2022 and to obtain 80 percent of all energy from renewables by 2050. So far, though, too many promises from Berlin have gone unfulfilled. German Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen never tires of all the praise for Germany’s energy revolution coming from around the world. Whenever he explains to foreign politicians that his highly industrialized country aims . . .
Utilities give away power as sun floods grid
The 15 mile-per-hour winds that buffeted northern Germany on July 24 caused the nation’s 21,600 windmills to generate so much power that utilities such as EON AG and RWE AG (RWE) had to pay consumers to take it off the grid. Rather than an anomaly, the event marked the 31st hour this year when power companies lost money on their electricity in the intraday market because of a torrent of supply from wind and solar parks. The phenomenon was unheard . . .
