In March, inflation in Germany rose by 7.3 percent from a year earlier, the highest level since Germany's reunification in 1990, according to a report by Germany's Federal Statistics Office. Looking at the consumer price index (CPI), inflation rose 5.1% in February from the previous year. Germany's energy-related category prices rose even more pronounced. German energy prices rose 39.5% year-on-year in March. Among them, the price of heating oil increased by 144%; the price of automobile fuel increased by more than 47%; the price of natural gas increased by 42%; the price of solid fuel increased by nearly 20%; and the market price of electricity increased by more than 17%. Many people said that the fundamental reason for the soaring prices in Germany is its high dependence on foreign energy.
The high dependence on foreign energy seems to be the original sin of the current energy crisis, but objectively speaking, this just highlights the urgency and determination of Germany for energy transformation. As Europe's largest economy and industrial power, Germany's energy consumption can be imagined, but even if it knows that it may be "starved and cold", it is necessary to abandon coal and nuclear. Germany is well-deserved as an "environmental pioneer".
Currently, Germany has the highest non-water renewable energy consumption and installed capacity in Europe. According to the BP Statistical Yearbook of World Energy, Germany's renewable energy consumption in 2020 is 2.21 exojoules, equivalent to 22.1 trillion joules, ranking only after China and the United States in terms of renewable energy consumption; See, in 2020 Germany's renewable energy generation capacity was 232.4 TWh, of which wind energy generated 131 TWh and solar energy generated 50.6 TWh.
Not long ago, in order to increase energy independence, Germany stepped up its renewable energy development plan.
In early April, the German government passed a package of bills that aims to generate 80% of electricity from renewables by 2030 and almost all electricity from renewables by 2035. Among them, wind power and solar power are the core of the bill. According to the Act, by 2030, Germany's onshore wind power capacity will reach 115 gigawatts; offshore wind power capacity will reach at least 30 gigawatts and 70 gigawatts in 2045. Solar PV capacity will reach 22 GW per year by 2026 and 215 GW by 2030.
More critically, the new bill raises the "priority" of Germany's renewable energy development. This is also the first time that Germany's energy development plan is parallel or even higher than the environmental law.
In the past, whether an energy project could be implemented depends on whether it can pass the approval of the German environmental protection department. In other words, Germany's environmental approval is an important determinant of whether a project can be started. In order to protect the environment, there are also many cases of local environmental protection organizations and energy project developers suing in court in Germany. All of the above have extended the landing time of German energy projects.
Taking wind power as an example, although Germany's installed wind power capacity is the largest in Europe, in the ten years from 2009 to 2019, the growth rate of wind power installed in Germany was only 9%, which is much lower than that of other European countries. The reason is related to the local environmental protection law. It is understood that although wind power generation does not produce harmful substances such as carbon dioxide, it has a certain impact on the soil, animals and plants near the wind turbine, especially birds. According to data from the Audubon Society for the Study of Birds, 140,000 to 300,000 birds in the United States die each year under the huge blades of wind turbines. Flocks of wind turbines may even lead to the extinction of some migratory birds. And that's one of the reasons why many German environmental groups oppose wind power. As a result, wind power capacity in Germany has been growing slowly.
The introduction of the new bill may not solve Germany's immediate pressing needs, but the process of Germany's energy independence has accelerated.