German of the day: Schneckentempo

May 19, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Helplessness, Hideology Tags: Energy, EU, France, German, Germany, Language, Nuclear energy, Renewable energy Leave a comment

That means moving at a snail’s pace.

But at least it’s still movement. In the right direction.

Germany drops opposition to nuclear power in rapprochement with France – Paris wins approval from Berlin to remove anti-nuclear bias in EU legislation, say officials.

Germany has dropped its long-held opposition to nuclear power, in the first concrete sign of rapprochement with France by Berlin’s new government led by conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Berlin has signalled to Paris it will no longer block French efforts to ensure nuclear power is treated on par with renewable energy in EU legislation, according to French and German officials.

German of the day: Märchenwald

May 11, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Energy, Forests, German, Germany, Greens, Language, Renewable energy, Renewables, Trees, Wind Energy, Wind Turbines Leave a comment

That means fairytale forest.

You know, the German Brothers Grimm kind. The kind Germans these days level for wind parks.

Plan for windfarm in German ‘fairytale forest’ stokes green energy culture war – Far right accused of misinformation over turbines at Reinhardswald, which has left local people divided.

Deep in the woods that inspired the Brothers Grimm, past the tower from which Rapunzel threw down her hair and the castle in which Sleeping Beauty slumbered, lies a construction site that the far right has declared a crime against national soil and identity.

In this quiet corner of Germany’s “fairytale forest”, workers are clearing land and building access roads to erect 18 wind turbines.

Clean and lean

May 10, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Clean Energy, Energy, Germany, Green energy, Greens, Renewable energy, Renewables Leave a comment

Very, very, lean.

But at least it’s clean. Whatever that should mean.

Clean energy sources generated the smallest amount of Germany’s electricity in over a decade so far in 2025, dealing a blow to the energy transition momentum of Europe’s largest economy.

Electricity generation from clean power sources totalled just under 80 terawatt hours (TWh) during the first four months of the year, according to data from energy think tank Ember.

That clean energy volume is down 16% from the same months in 2024 and is the lowest for that period since at least 2015.

We won’t break it up until it’s broken

April 29, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Energy, Germany, Greens, Monopolies, Renewables, Solar energy, Spain, Wind Energy Leave a comment

Really broken. Even more broken than it already is (see Spain’s Green energy adventure yesterday).

Berlin faces EU test over German electricity market break-up – Sweden, Belgium and Czech Republic argue country’s market restructuring could drive prices down.

Germany’s new government faces an early test of its sway in Brussels as it defies pressure from neighbouring countries to break up the German electricity market.

Sweden, Belgium and the Czech Republic are among countries to have argued that splitting the large German market into several zones could lower prices for their consumers, as electricity flows to the region of highest priced demand.

You blew it, Germany

April 27, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Energy, Germany, Greens, Renewable energy, Solar energy, Wind Energy Leave a comment

Because your wind energy blows.

When the Wind Didn’t Blow in Germany – A years-long renewables push leaves the economy hostage to the weather.

Germany has invested so many hundreds of billions of euros in its green energy transition over the years that no one can tally the precise amount. Yet the share of wind and solar power in the country’s energy mix in the first quarter of this year managed to fall—by a lot. There’s a lesson for the U.S. here.

“Could Germany return to Russian gas via Nord Stream?”

April 26, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Energy, Gas, Germany, Nord Stream, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

Could the Pope be a Catholic?

Hmmm. A moral high ground dilemma. For now. First get slammed after making yourself dependent on Russian oil – knowingly, eyes wide open – then persist in playing the hardcore sanctions hawk after the war in Ukraine (for Ukraine) is long lost. Like I said, for now.

For months, there has been speculation that the United States and Russia want the Nord Stream gas pipelines repaired and flowing again. The question remains whether Germany might agree.

It’s not because we have the highest energy costs in the world…

April 24, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: Bureaucracy, Donald Trump, Economy, Energy, Germans, Germany, Industry, Tariffs Leave a comment

Or the shortest number of hours (days) worked in any industrialized country. Or the most restrictive bureaucracy of any G7 nation. Or even that we continue to miss the boat when it comes to embracing new technological developments. To name just a few.

No. Germany’s economy continues to fail (for the third year now) because of Donald Trump.

Germany sees zero growth in 2025, blames Trump tariffs – Germany was the only G7 economy that failed to grow for the last two years, and is on track for a third year without growth in 2025.

The German government cut its economic growth forecast to zero citing the impact of US President Donald Trump’s trade policies .

“There is above all one reason for this, namely Donald Trump’s trade policy and the effects of the trade policy on Germany,” outgoing Economy Minister Robert Habeck said.

The majority rules…

April 6, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Energy, Germany, Greens, Majorities, Nuclear energy Leave a comment

Not.

But it’s the thought that counts.

German poll: Majority for return to nuclear energy – Some 55% of Germans favor a reversal of nuclear policy according to a marketing poll. The issue has been a point of contention between parties seeking to form a coalition government.

Germans welcoming a US initiative?

March 28, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: CDU, Energy, Gas, Germany, Nord Stream, Pipelines, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

There must be some misunderstanding here.

Germany debates proposal to re-open Nord Stream pipelines – Members of the conservative CDU party, likely to lead the next German government, have raised the possibility of importing Russian gas again. The far right has welcomed the idea.

Parliamentarians of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) have caused a political row in Germany by welcoming an apparent US initiative to repair and re-open the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany.

German of the day: Niedrigenergiehaus

February 20, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Batteries, Energy, Explosions, German, Germany, Greens, Language, Lithium, Renewables 1 Comment

That means low-energy house. You know, a Green energy house?

This low-energy house looks like it had plenty of energy to me.

On Wednesday evening, the fire department was called to Schönberg in Schleswig-Holstein: A deafening rumble shook the neighborhood! There was an explosion in a single family house that blew away an entire wall…

The initial assumption is that a lithium battery storage system in the low-energy house could be the reason.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

Tag Archives: Energy