The German energy transition threatens to be an unaffordable, unrealisable disaster, according to the government’s own independent auditors

By Paul Homewood

h/t Dennis Ambler/Patsy Lacey

Germany’s Energiewende threatens to be a disaster:

The German Bundesrechnungshof, or the Federal Audit Office, is an independent government body charged by statute with overseeing the economic management of the Federal Republic. Last week, they published a devastating “Report … on the implementation of the energy transition” in Germany. Every one of its fifty-eight pages represents a brutal slap in the face to our Green Economics Minister Robert Habeck. German energy policies have not only made us the laughing stock of the developed world; they are deplored even by our own bureaucrats.

The report says clearly what everybody knows but nobody in charge will acknowledge, namely that wind and solar are relentlessly intermittent power sources, which require “a largely redundant” backup system to provide “secure, controllable power” when the sun does not shine and the wind does not blow. Habeck’s much-ballyhooed “power plant strategy,” unveiled in February, will “probably not be sufficient” to supply these “secured, controllable backup capacities.” This is because the “strategy” plans for a mere half of the capacity that was originally envisioned, because it is not clear whether conditions will be attractive enough to entice any power plant operators, and because nobody can say when the backup will come online. We are transitioning from a functional electricity system into a lot of insubstantial aspirations, which are not the kinds of things that keep the lights on.

Read the full story here.

This is the translated introduction from the official report:

Energy transition not on track Germany is pursuing very ambitious goals for the energy transition. However, this is not on track and is lagging behind its goals. The federal government must respond immediately to ensure a safe, affordable and environmentally friendly electricity supply.

What is it about? The energy transition in the electricity sector is of outstanding importance for climate protection. However, the federal government is lagging behind its goals in expanding renewable energies and ensuring adequately secured, controllable power plant output. Security of supply is at risk, electricity is expensive and the federal government cannot comprehensively assess the effects of the energy transition on the landscape, nature and environment. This poses considerable risks for Germany as a business location and for the population’s acceptance of the energy transition.

What should I do? The federal government must react immediately. It must effectively ensure private investments in renewable energies, power plant output to back it up and the electricity grids. It must clearly state the costs of the energy transition. In addition, the federal government must finally introduce a target and monitoring system in order to systematically assess the environmental effects of the energy transition.

What is the goal? The recommendations are aimed at a secure, affordable and environmentally friendly energy supply and the success of the energy transition. This is central to Germany as a business location, social acceptance of the transformation and the achievement of climate protection goals.