Dgermany has big plans. In order to be able to meet the 1.5-degree target agreed at the climate summit in Paris in 2015, the goal is climate neutrality by 2045. Therefore, the phasing out of coal combustion should be completed as quickly as possible and the expansion of regenerative energy sources should be promoted quickly in return . The Federal Government wants renewable energy sources to cover 80 percent of electricity consumption by the end of this decade.
But the expansion of wind power in particular is not progressing as it should. At the same time, power consumption increases. In addition, we are already paying the highest energy prices. In his book “Deutschland unter Strom. Our response to the climate crisis”. Instead of making sacrifices and changing one’s lifestyle, the science journalist and political consultant relies primarily on technical solutions.
Gas power plants for security of supply
For Podewils, electricity is the key energy of a climate-friendly society. It is the most efficient form of energy and can be used in a variety of ways: for heating, lighting or to drive engines and vehicles. It can be generated cheaply in large quantities – via photovoltaic and wind power plants – stored electrochemically in batteries and transported with transmission grids to wherever it is needed. Therefore, the author is convinced that people will soon switch from oil and gas to electric heat pumps for heating homes, which extract heat from the environment and distribute it to households, for example, via district heating pipes. In order for the technology to work in a climate-neutral manner, the electricity required for operation must of course come from renewable sources. According to Podewils, the former oil country Denmark shows that it works.
Christoph Podewils: “Electrified Germany”. Our answer to the climate crisis.
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Image: CH Beck Verlag
Podewils has no doubt that the electric drive will replace the combustion engine. In addition to the high level of driving comfort, the reason is also the fact that battery-powered vehicles are an important pillar of the energy transition as efficient energy storage devices on wheels. However, the prerequisite for this is an intelligent charging system for green electricity, which Podewils admits is still a long way off.
But wind and sun cannot yet supply enough electricity for a climate-neutral Germany. Therefore, the area for solar systems, especially for wind systems, must be expanded rapidly: from the current 0.9 percent of the total area of Germany to at least double by 2030 – which corresponds to eight times the city area of Berlin. It is questionable whether people, especially in rural areas, will get used to the fact that wind turbines visibly change the familiar picture of nature as quickly as Podewils believes.