Germany’s grand wind and solar transition is delivering perfectly predictable chaos. So much so its power grid is being driven to the brink of total collapse by the unchecked (and heavily subsidised) increase in intermittent solar generation, both large-scale and domestic.

Those in charge of the grid have been pointing out the risk for years now. However, the threat is so real and imminent that the grid managers are demanding the immediate removal of millions of solar panels across Germany to prevent a devastating total blackout, as Pierre Gosselin reports below.

‘Handelsblatt’ Reports: Photovoltaics “Causing Problems Electricity Distribution Grids
No Tricks Zone
Pierre Gosselin
3 August 2024

Photovoltaics are escalating power grid instability in Germany, thus increasing the risk of regional blackouts. Too many cheap, uncontrollable systems from China are flooding the market.

“Millions of solar installations will have to be torn down”

In Germany there are growing fears of power grid blackouts. The reason: The effects that the “rapid expansion of photovoltaics” is having on grid stability.

“Many countermeasures will not take effect for years,” reports the online business daily Handelsblatt. “In 2023 alone, the number of photovoltaic systems connected to the grid rose by 30 percent to 3.4 million units, the Federal Statistical Office announced on Monday.”

As more and more small-scale systems get installed, the more unstable power grids are becoming, experts are warning. Because wherever more electricity gets produced than consumed, the grid can collapse.

“In the worst case, this could mean local power cuts, warns the Association of Municipal Enterprises (VKU), which brings together many municipal utilities,” reports the Handelsblatt. Small, private rooftop systems have gained wide popularity across Germany, The problem however, is their technology.

“The majority of systems cannot currently be switched off automatically if too much electricity is produced in certain phases and regions,” the Handelsblatt adds.  This is leading to grid overloading and instability.

Online news-video publisher Alexander Raue also blames the grid instability problem on “cheap solar systems from China.”

“I believe there’s a well-functioning technology available -already today- but it’s considerably more expensive. And because the market is being flooded by millions of cheap products from China, thrifty German consumers are snatching up the Chinese junk and are thus putting the German power grid in jeopardy,” says Raue. All of this is being promoted by Germans Economics Minister, Robert Habeck.

“The electricity grid operators have now issued an explosive blackout warning about solar power! Millions of solar installations will have to be torn down, as Habeck’s favorite project, of all things, means the collapse of Germany!” Raue comments.
No Tricks Zone

By Vijay Jayaraj

Most discussions of India’s annual budget are being dominated by the increased taxation of the middle class. But many media entities—both in India and the West—overlooked the country’s decision to increase its coal consumption.

An economic survey released as a prelude to the financial budget often indicates the country’s future direction in various areas of governance, including energy and environment. This year’s survey—like those in the previous years—clearly indicates that the country will neither reduce its consumption of coal nor back away from its commitment to the economic development that requires affordable and plentiful energy for hundreds of millions of people.

Future is Coal

Coal dominates India’s energy landscape, comprising over 55% of the nation’s primary commercial supply. In the power sector, coal’s role is even more pronounced, with coal-fired plants generating approximately 70% of India’s electricity. It is also a critical source for various manufacturers, including those of steel, sponge iron, cement and paper.

With the country’s energy demand projected to at least double by 2047, the survey makes clear that coal will remain the backbone of India’s energy mix for an extended period.

“Despite being one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, India’s annual per capita carbon emission is only about one-third of the global average,” said the survey in an apparent rejection of Western criticisms of Indian emissions of carbon dioxide, the bogeyman of climate extremists.

In addition, the survey says, “India’s dependence on petroleum imports should not be replaced by dependence on solar photovoltaic panel imports.”  It recommended a balanced response to climate change and criticized policies making reduction of emissions a top priority at the expense of development.

The Indian government also took the opportunity to criticize carbon import taxes levied on its products by the European Union. The survey points out the hypocrisy of developed nations criticizing India’s CO2 emissions while simultaneously increasing their own emissions and fossil fuel consumption. This paradoxical behavior is labeled a “comedy.”

No Way but Coal

At 35 quadrillion Btu (British Thermal Units), India’s primary energy consumption is the third highest in the world. The country is also the third biggest consumer of electricity.  As the world’s fifth-largest economy and home to over 1.4 billion people, India’s energy consumption is projected to more than double by 2040. The International Energy Agency forecasts that India will account for nearly one-quarter of global energy demand growth from 2019 to 2040.

Recent data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) shows that coal-fired power generation has been steadily increasing. In the fiscal year 2022-23, coal-based power plants generated 1,043 billion units of electricity, about 10% more than the previous year.

This upward trend has continued into 2023-24, with coal power generation reaching 919 billion units in just the first eight months of the fiscal year. In fact, CEA has said that coal will continue to be the dominant source of power generation at 54% by 2030.

The rate of growth in the production of coal in the country during the past three years has been the New coal mine approvals earlier this year not only boosted production but also generated 40,560 jobs.

India’s enthusiasm for coal is driven by several factors: abundant domestic coal reserves, the need for reliable and affordable energy to fuel industrial growth and concerns about energy security. The significant budget allocations for coal production, infrastructure, and technology reflect a pragmatic approach to meeting the nation’s growing energy demands and supporting its ambitious economic goals.

The only sensible thing left for India to do is stop wasting time and resources on so-called renewables so as not to jeopardize its energy security. Besides, not even an unprecedented increase in wind and solar capacity would dethrone coal as the primary energy source.

This commentary was first published at BizPac Review on August 20, 2024.

Vijay Jayaraj is a Science and Research Associate at the CO₂ Coalition, Arlington, Virginia. He holds a postgraduate degree in energy management from Robert Gordon University and an M.S. in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia, both in the U.K., and a B.S. in engineering from Anna University, India.