German Renewables Overpower Russian Gas

Russian Gas Doesn't Power Germany - Renewable Energy Does

Dave Keating, July 23, 2018 (Forbes)

“…[A]t a NATO summit, Donald Trump accused Germany of being ‘controlled’ by Russia because of its [70%] dependence on Russian gas…In fact, Germany only gets 34% of its natural gas from Russia, roughly equal to the amount it gets from Norway and from the Netherlands. In total, natural gas accounts for just 23% of Germany’s primary energy use – and only 13.5% of the electricity generated at power plants…[And, as] of July 1, renewable energy has surpassed coal to become Germany’s largest single power source in the country’s gross power production mix…

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…[Renewable energy – mostly wind and solar – generated] 36.3% of Germany’s power so far this year, while coal provided 35.1%. Gas provided 12.3%, just above nuclear at 11.3%...Germany’s Energiewende, the ambitious renewable energy policy the country has had in place since 2010, is getting the power source to a level where it can easily replace disappearing coal and nuclear…But there are important caveats…[First, these] figures are only for power generation – not for all of Germany’s energy use, which also includes heating and transport. Natural gas provides around 23% of that total, while renewables provide only around 13%...[Second, these renewables numbers] are a reflection of ambitious action taken several years ago. In recent years, renewables expansion has been lagging…Germany’s energy mix is far more complex than Trump’s rant…” click here for more

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