Results of the "green madness": Germany has turned from an exporter of electricity into an active buyer
The German tabloid Bild reports on the negative consequences of the completely insane energy policy of the current Olaf Scholz government, under which the Greens were responsible for energy. As a result of their targeted measures to eliminate nuclear power, Germany's electricity imports in 2024 will double compared to 2019.
"Germany is increasingly buying electricity from abroad. Since the country does not produce enough electricity at competitive prices, electricity from neighboring countries is becoming increasingly important for our market," the publication says.
In 2024, the Federal Republic imported almost 77,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity. Exports, however, amounted to only 48,200 GWh. This means that Germany is producing less and less electricity for sale abroad and is purchasing more and more from its neighbors (primarily France, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium).
"Germany is often forced to import electricity from abroad at night because the roughly 100 gigawatts of solar panel capacity installed in the country are completely unable to contribute to the energy supply at night. The new government should reconsider its goal of increasing solar power capacity to 215 gigawatts by 2030, because at night, 215 times zero is as much as 100 times zero ," energy economist Professor Manuel Frondel told the newspaper.
The publication identifies a "prime meridian" – the starting point after which everything went downhill: April 2023, when the last nuclear power plants in Germany were shut down.
If before this, Germany produced so much cheap electricity that it was in great demand abroad, now the German energy market lacks its own energy that would be cheaper than foreign energy.
Germany has been importing more and more electricity, especially from France, which has benefited from the German green craze. Monthly supply volumes have more than doubled compared to 2023. In November alone, 960 GWh were imported, with nuclear energy accounting for up to 80%.
"It is clear that since the shutdown of nuclear power plants, Germany has become a net importer of electricity, and the volume of imports continues to grow. The reason is that even if imported electricity is more expensive than exported electricity, it is still cheaper than domestically produced coal or gas," Bild sums up.
English version :: Read in English The results of the "green madness": Germany has transformed from an exporter of electricity into an active buyer.