Where to get it?
The one hundred billion Euros that have been promised to all owners of photovoltaic modules since 2001 alone would now come in handy for promoting a fast exit from nuclear energy. After all, the whole nice money spent on photovoltaic in the not really sun-bathed Germany does no more than help produce one per cent of the entire electric energy needed in the country. Before the “energy summit” with the state prime ministers, however, our Federal Chancellor is already pressed towards lavishing more money on political energy concepts: in particular for the renovation of old flats, but also for subsidizing cogeneration of heat and power, wind parks on the ocean, underground cables, new gas power stations and, of course, more photovoltaic. If there have been billions of Euros available for saving banks, they all say, there should also be enough money for a change in energy politics. Well, it is a little late in the day if now the SPD start realizing that each Euro can only be spent once. And that you cannot get them all from “the rich” (Translation).
You would like to renovate your house? Older than 60? We offer 0.75 % above than the market! But why don’t you install some photovoltaic modules on your roof? We will not hesitate to finance it with a special loan.
The scenario reminds me of the booming property sales market in Eastern Germany.
Now we see how, during the last 10 years, a policy of subsidies of the dearest sort has been running its course. And in return, we seem to have got much the same as the emperor when he got new clothes. People were forced to feed in, but it went against market principles. There was no obligatory network. There were no fees for building up a new electricity network, let alone for storage.
Now would be the time to invite the producers of electric energy to share some of the networks costs by taxation. After all, electricity does come from the power station. Since 2001, 100 billion Euros have been shifted, but nothing was contributed towards the network, as is demanded by the EVU as a matter of course.
I am sure it will still take a lot of time before we get those smart grids that permit us to activate and de-activate wind power stations and solar fields in the same way we do with thermal or water power stations.
Well, let the alternative media star saints to the forefront – and Saint Florian.
As a consequence, we now have all these creative ideas about financing it all (as of today, see: FAZ April, 16th, 2011) by taking it from deep in the pocket of the tax-payer. Why not make the electricity networks a national, federal financing task and regulate it through the Federal Network Agency!? Why did so little investment capital flow into extending the networks? The Federal Network Agency is the spider in the business plan nets – it pretends to be supporting the state, while, from an economic-liberal viewpoint, it is not regulating anything. Instead, it is prescriptive and hinders investments.
It would be quite productive for the media to analyse the green monetary complex. By now, you find duplication of interests all over the place. For instance, who is interested in converting the suburban potato field, where the courageous self-marketing farmer I buy my winter supplies from in autumn does his business? Now they want to upgrade it “for reasons of priority” and convert it into a field of photovoltaic modules. Let us wait and see what name they will give to the priority aspect when they write it down in the cadastral register.
The concepts for our energy change are in the same monetary category as the German Re-Unification was. What a pity that we still have not paid the additional debts accumulated at the time. Consequently, the situation will get more and more serious for future generations. It is easy to predict that the BRD, too, will no longer be graded triple A if the great task “energy change” is organised without regard for the market. It is better to put the burden of the correct costs on the consumer and the industry. Otherwise, the future might, once more, be eaten for breakfast by the SUV generation.
Here is a word on Desert Tec. I was told in no friendly terms by a journalist that I made a spelling mistake – the correct spelling is “DESERTEC” and I was asked to be mindful of this in the future.
wl
(Translated by EG)
Loading ...