Why can't Germany become energy self-sufficient with renewable energies, even if Economics Minister Habeck (Greens) has now set the goal of covering 80 percent of Germany's energy needs from renewable energies by 2030?

Rudiger Soldt

Political correspondent in Baden-Württemberg.

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According to the Easter package from the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, at least 80 percent of gross electricity consumption in Germany should come from renewable energies by 2030.

Electricity, however, only covers about 20 percent of Germany's energy needs, the rest is covered by combustibles and motor fuels.

Germany will always remain an energy importing country because Germany does not have enough land for wind and photovoltaic systems and because the climatic conditions, i.e. annual hours of sunshine and wind, do not allow a very high yield of renewable energies.

For example, we will have to import hydrogen produced from renewable sources from countries with large open spaces and favorable production conditions, such as Australia or northern Africa.

Is it even possible to find a design for future energy policy that is independent of geopolitical influences?

I don't see that in the medium term over a five-year horizon.

In the long term, i.e. from around 2050, the internationally promoted nuclear fusion, always in combination with the expansion of renewable energies, represents an option and a realistic future scenario, so that large quantities of electricity and process heat can be generated worldwide and thus also in Germany without any significant dependence on resources .

We could then also cover the heat, mobility and industrial requirements and produce green hydrogen as a raw material for industry using electrolysers.

Politicians can decide whether they want to continue operating the three nuclear power plants that are still connected to the grid.

What would be the benefit in the current situation?

You have to know that the three nuclear power plants still in operation in Germany generated around 33 terawatt hours of electricity last year.

In the same period, around 90 terawatt hours of electricity were produced from natural gas and 54 terawatt hours from hard coal.

Around 50 terawatt hours of electricity were generated from Russian natural gas, which corresponds to 1.5 times the annual electricity production of the three nuclear power plants Emsland, Isar II and Neckarwestheim II.

Around 27 terawatt hours of electricity were generated from Russian hard coal, which corresponds to 82 percent of the annual amount of electricity generated in the three German nuclear power plants.

In this respect, the continued operation of the three nuclear power plants still connected to the grid would be a contribution, but by no means a solution.

What could this electricity be used for in the current situation?

With this amount of electricity we could offset part of the electricity produced from Russian gas or Russian coal, but as I said only part.

In principle, electricity can be used very flexibly in an intelligent, sector-coupled energy system.