Germany had so much renewable energy on Sunday that it had to pay people to use electricity

qz.com...

On Sunday, May 8, Germany hit a new high in renewable energy generation. Thanks to a sunny and windy day, at one point around 1pm the country’s solar, wind, hydro and biomass plants were supplying about 55 GW of the 63 GW being consumed, or 87%. Power prices actually went negative for several hours, meaning commercial customers were being paid to consume electricity.

Just awesome.

Germany is looking to end all dependence on nuclear energy and if they keep this up they may very well meet their deadline! Alternative energy is really evolving and I look forward to see what they can do in the next couple of decades.

the US and China and Japan are soon to follow in the alternative energy race.



j/k

a reply to: odzeandennz

Oh you better believe China and Japan have been investing in solar, India to.

Kinda goes against their new build coal plant plans, doesn't it?

carboncounter.wordpress.com...

a reply to: odzeandennz

the US and China and Japan are soon to follow in the alternative energy race.
j/k

Supposed prototype by 2020

A Japanese Company wants to Build an 11,000 KM solar farm on the Moon

Yea..pretty sure it still takes more energy and resources to produce a photovoltaic cell than it will ever generate in its lifetime. Good on Germany nonetheless. I know here in the US the solar arrays they build always seem to fail expectations still.

There is one on the North end of town that was supposed to supply the entire Air Force Academy. In reality it supplies

When Germany says 'biomass', it means they're shoveling trees into the coal plant.

Heh. Well. They also have negative interest rates so maybe it balances out.

mises.org...

a reply to: lightedhype

. . . always seem to fail expectations . . .

There's often a lot of enthusiastic and fictional advertising for green energy schemes. I've seen hundreds of thousands of pounds wasted locally, and much damage done to property and the environment through over-enthusiastic advertising of green energy schemes.

a reply to: Bedlam

I always looked at coal as the ultimate in solar energy storage mechanisms. Big chunks of solar power all preserved neatly.

a reply to: quercusrex
Yeah. Oil too.
Along with a bunch of other crap that you have to deal with when you burn it to make electricity.

a reply to: Swills

I've heard that their government subsidizes many local projects all over Germany.

So villages can collectively buy solar panels much cheaper .

Sometimes this happens because companies still make money with the subsides of the clean energy, which in the end still comes from the people pockets

Okay everyone, there is a nice site showing the Complete Production of Electric Power in Germany:

Energy Charts.de

It even shows the drop in nuclear production right after Fukushima.


Go and take a look.

From what I've read, Fusion power will hopefully be a reality in our lifetime...

Nuclear fusion nears efficiency break-even

&

Lockheed says makes breakthrough on Fusion Energy project

a reply to: Swills

before everyone gets excited - what does germany plan to do on the next windless night ?

a reply to: ignorant_ape

Just look at the link in my previous posting: there are enough powerplants there.
Just power up a gas-powered turbine and *bam* you have megawatts in seconds.

A couple years ago I read that Germany subsidizes green power, the utility companies charge something like $0.10 per kWh and they buy green power from you at $0.50 Kwh, needless to say looks like everybody is in the bandwagon now.

originally posted by: ignorant_ape
a reply to: Swills

before everyone gets excited - what does germany plan to do on the next windless night ?

Eat more Brussels Sprouts and cabbage.

a reply to: ignorant_ape

It's usually windy out in the open water.