Situation in Europe: RIP Germany (Survival Lilly)

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SURVIVAL LILLY
https://youtu.be/VpURq41dVps

VIDEO EXCERPTS: Today, I would like to give you some more news from Europe. We are going to start with Germany. As you know, there was an election in Germany.

You can see this black column, and that's the conservative party, which has won 4.3%. So that makes it the number one party in Germany.

Then we also have the right-wing party in blue, which is called Alternative for Germany. And they now have 20%. They have increased the most from all parties.

[...] Then we have the red party, which is the Social Democrat Party ... they have lost almost 10%. So the Social Democrats were the biggest losers of the election.

Then also we have the Greens, which have lost 2.3%.

[...] You can see a very interesting map of Germany, and at the East Side you can see that people have predominantly voted for right-wing party. And at the western side of Germany you can see that people have voted especially for conservatives.

So that's really interesting especially because East Germany was once occupied by communist Russia. So it's really funny that they are voting right wing now.

[...] I really thought it cannot get worse, but actually it's getting worse with the situation in Germany. German industry faces a new blow from electricity price reform.

[...] The federal network agency plans to have 400 industrial companies adapt their processes to the real time supply of wind and solar power. ... Basically, if there's no wind and no sun in winter time, for example, then the companies will have to stop their production. Otherwise, they will have to pay some really expensive fees.

So that's the new plan and it's crazy. It's like going back to the 18th century, when the miller can only mill some flour if there's wind for the windmill...

Situation in Europe: RIP Germany

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/VpURq41dVps

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The federal network agency plans to have 400 industrial companies adapt their processes to the real time supply of wind and solar power. ... Basically, if there's no wind and no sun in winter time, for example, then the companies will have to stop their production. Otherwise, they will have to pay some really expensive fees.

By way of example ..
If wind and Sun are low for (say) 3 days a year.. you need energy storage to cover that 3 days .. but it's only used 3 days a year. Who, how, what, pays for infrastructure that's only used 3 days a year or even not needed at all?

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The federal network agency plans to have 400 industrial companies adapt their processes to the real time supply of wind and solar power. ... Basically, if there's no wind and no sun in winter time, for example, then the companies will have to stop their production. Otherwise, they will have to pay some really expensive fees.

By way of example ..
If wind and Sun are low for (say) 3 days a year.. you need energy storage to cover that 3 days .. but it's only used 3 days a year. Who, how, what, pays for infrastructure that's only used 3 days a year or even not needed at all?

Power from renewables drop off significantly during the winter, for Germany (as low as only 18% of the total in December). It scrapped nuclear power altogether in 2023, yet ironically has to purchase electricity from France's nuclear power dominant production. Further contradiction is their having to build 4 new natural gas plants for generating electricity, to compensate. Gas which they struggle to even acquire enough of after the loss of Russian supply.

Germany doesn't have its modernized and fully expanded grid even completed yet, and won't for some time. That ongoing construction is also a source of the high prices and fees. The US is facing a similar, monumental, multiple trillion-dollar task in order to successfully accommodate the transition to EVs and other items. It's grid and infrastructure is more dinosaur outdated and inadequate for that future than Germany's. So extremely costly electricity should be lurking ahead in North America, too.

FROM BELOW: In Germany, around 30% of the electricity price is made up of grid charges. This refers to the cost of expanding the power grid. Taxes and levies make up about another third. [...] Nowhere in Europe is electricity more expensive than in Germany [...] "What remains clear is that the continued expansion of renewable energies, electricity grids, and storage facilities will remain costly for many years to come. Only once the infrastructure is in place will the financial benefits of wind and solar energy be felt."

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Energy output
https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodit...025-02-25/

German industry has cited high energy costs as a major factor impeding growth in recent years, rendering German products uncompetitive on the world stage.
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German power costs surge in February, adding to industry woes
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/...age-europe

A slump in wind power generation is pushing Germany’s electricity prices to record levels for this time of year, as energy costs remain a critical concern for voters and industries in Europe’s largest economy. Power prices have been higher this month than in any other February on record, even during the energy crisis of 2022 and 2023, according to day-ahead figures from Epex Spot SE.
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Germany seeks to cut electricity costs
https://www.dw.com/en/how-germany-seeks-...a-71239301

In 2024, an average of 59% of Germany's electricity was generated from renewable sources. But during the winter darkness, this output is far from adequate. December 12, 2024, marked a low point, when only 18% of Germany's electricity needs were met by renewables. The rest had to be generated by coal- and gas-fired power plants, and electricity imports from neighboring EU countries.

[...] The EU has a common electricity market. This means that during periods of high wind and sunshine, Germany is able to export energy, while during periods of low wind and sunshine, it increasingly has to import energy. Most of the electricity that Germany purchased in 2024 came from France, which meets 70% of its energy needs with nuclear power that is available throughout the year.

Imports and exports are based on the current prices on the European Energy Exchange. In addition, consumers have to pay the national taxes and levies. In Germany, around 30% of the electricity price is made up of grid charges. This refers to the cost of expanding the power grid. Taxes and levies make up about another third. [...] Nowhere in Europe is electricity more expensive than in Germany.

[...] What remains clear is that the continued expansion of renewable energies, electricity grids, and storage facilities will remain costly for many years to come. Only once the infrastructure is in place will the financial benefits of wind and solar energy be felt.
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After scrapping nuclear reactors, Germany to spend billions on new gas power plants
https://www.politico.eu/article/nuclear-...ts-energy/

Berlin has agreed to spend €16 billion to build four major natural gas plants to meet electricity demand in a major overhaul of the country's energy grid. In a statement Monday, officials said the new strategy came "in addition to the consistent expansion of renewable energies," and was key to ensuring steady power supplies "even in times where there is little sun and wind."
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Are high electricity prices a threat to Germany's industry?
https://www.dw.com/en/high-electricity-p...a-71644198

Last year, the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) surveyed over 300 companies that use a lot of electricity in Germany to gauge their opinions about the current government's policies on energy transition and climate protection.

Around 45% of them said they are planning to reduce production — or already have done so — due to high energy costs. Some are even playing with the idea of relocating abroad.

[...] In Germany, the industrial electricity price includes levies, taxes and grid fees, among other things. Grid fees are a charge levied for the use of the electricity grid.

[...] Achim Dercks, deputy CEO of the DIHK industry group, claims energy prices here are still "among the highest in the world." Additionally, Germany is "no longer competitive" as a manufacturing hub due to energy costs "neither in Europe nor globally," he said.