3 ms·

15% is still a non-trivial amount. I assume some newer housing also uses electric heating only -- either direct floor heating or electric boiler. Is that alread

15% is still a non-trivial amount. I assume some newer housing also uses electric heating only -- either direct floor heating or electric boiler. Is that already included in those 15%? Anyway, renewables alone can't completely replace coal or gas, since their output is relatively unstable and unpredictable. So far Germany has been ignoring that problem while shitting on neighboring countries which cover for their fluctuations and which obviously can't pull the same trick now.

nmehner 5y ago
You can see the usage for electricity ("Stromversorgung") in https://www.bdew.de/service/daten-und-grafiken/entwicklung-des-erdgasabsatzes-deutschland/ https://www.bdew.de/service/daten-und-grafiken/entwicklung-d... . Actually in 2021 it was only 12.7% instead of 15%. This includes all electricity usage, there is no separate electricity production for heat-pumps or resistance heating. As you can see in https://www.bdew.de/service/daten-und-grafiken/stromerzeugung-erdgas-deutschland/ https://www.bdew.de/service/daten-und-grafiken/stromerzeugun... gas usage for electricity went down when the prices for gas went up in the second half of 2021. This share could probably be reduced further, but currently there is no need for this. Europe has an integrated grid. The purpose of this grid is to balance fluctuations. NordLink (https://www.tennet.eu/our-grid/international-connections/nordlink/ https://www.tennet.eu/our-grid/international-connections/nor... ) was explicitly build to access the more than 100 TWh of available pumped water storage in Norway to store wind energy. And I guess Norway is making some money from it. Denmark has an even higher share of wind energy than Germany (70% last week). The Netherlands got 30% of its energy from wind last week, Austria 26%, Poland 25%. France uses German electricity when it is cold in winter and resistance heating is using more energy than they can produce or if they have to shut down some nuclear plants because of security issues (https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1549986/macron-france-nuclear-power-edf-civaux-flamanville https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1549986/macron-france... ). They are all pulling the same trick. Again: Balancing is the purpose of the grid and not "shitting on neighboring countries".
- def_true_false 5y ago
  The trick is replacing coal and nukes which have predictable output with renewables while depending on the same not being replaced in the neighboring country. Poland and Czechia to be precise. I suppose given recent developments this whole discussion is moot though :)

nmehner 5y ago

You can see the usage for electricity ("Stromversorgung") in https://www.bdew.de/service/daten-und-grafiken/entwicklung-des-erdgasabsatzes-deutschland/ https://www.bdew.de/service/daten-und-grafiken/entwicklung-d... . Actually in 2021 it was only 12.7% instead of 15%. This includes all electricity usage, there is no separate electricity production for heat-pumps or resistance heating. As you can see in https://www.bdew.de/service/daten-und-grafiken/stromerzeugung-erdgas-deutschland/ https://www.bdew.de/service/daten-und-grafiken/stromerzeugun... gas usage for electricity went down when the prices for gas went up in the second half of 2021. This share could probably be reduced further, but currently there is no need for this. Europe has an integrated grid. The purpose of this grid is to balance fluctuations. NordLink (https://www.tennet.eu/our-grid/international-connections/nordlink/ https://www.tennet.eu/our-grid/international-connections/nor... ) was explicitly build to access the more than 100 TWh of available pumped water storage in Norway to store wind energy. And I guess Norway is making some money from it. Denmark has an even higher share of wind energy than Germany (70% last week). The Netherlands got 30% of its energy from wind last week, Austria 26%, Poland 25%. France uses German electricity when it is cold in winter and resistance heating is using more energy than they can produce or if they have to shut down some nuclear plants because of security issues (https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1549986/macron-france-nuclear-power-edf-civaux-flamanville https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1549986/macron-france... ). They are all pulling the same trick. Again: Balancing is the purpose of the grid and not "shitting on neighboring countries".

def_true_false 5y ago
The trick is replacing coal and nukes which have predictable output with renewables while depending on the same not being replaced in the neighboring country. Poland and Czechia to be precise. I suppose given recent developments this whole discussion is moot though :)