It is on everyone's lips.
With plenty of verve.
And also scepticism!
Maybe it is already coming tomorrow?
Or maybe not.
Either way:
What does it really mean, this
"Energiewende" - energy transition?
Currently,
the energy supply in Germany is based on
fossil fuels.
But these are gradually being replaced
by renewable energy sources.
The process accompanying this change
is the "German Energiewende" - energy revolution.
And it is in full swing.
To be more specific:
By the middle of the 21st century,
80% of our energy
should come from renewable energy sources,
energy consumption should fall by
50% and greenhouse gases
should be reduced to somewhere
around the 1990 level.
Is this daring and unrealistic?
Actually,
"Energiewende" (energy transition) processes
are really rather old hat.
In the past,
all our energy came from renewable sources,
such as wood, wind and hydropower.
The switch to coal
set the ball rolling for industrialisation.
Since the mid-20th century,
our main sources of energy have been oil, gas
and nuclear power.
And now they must be replaced.
For environmental reasons.
The only problem is,
the energy system is enormously complex.
It's extremely difficult to change direction
- like a big tanker at sea.
Our energy supply must
be reliable, ecological and affordable.
However, there is no master plan
to ensure this.
There can't be.
But that doesn't mean
that we have to start from scratch.
In 2000, the so-called
red-green coalition government
passed the Renewable Energies Act.
Today more than a quarter of our energy supply
now comes from renewable sources.
That's the good news.
The not-so-good news:
There are still a lot of questions.
For example:
Which types of renewable energy
should be used in which parts of Germany?
How do we guarantee a secure
energy supply if the wind isn't blowing
or the sun isn't shining?
How does electricity travel
from the generator to the receiver?
Such a mammoth project
requires new methods.
Alternative ways of thinking.
How can we bring
energy demand in line with the existing supply?
Could we redesign
the energy supply to be
smaller-scale and more decentralised?
And what about investing in the
"Energiewende"
as a European co-operation?
One thing is for sure:
it won't be easy to get a reliable,
environmentally sustainable
and affordable new energy infrastructure
up on its feet.
But it'll be worth it!
And we will succeed.
If we accept the
"Energiewende" as a process.
A process which is open to
new ideas and insights,
and which must endure
opposition and difficulties.
A process which must not be discouraged
by setbacks.
And above all,
a process which motivates us
to keep going.
No comments:
Post a Comment