Alternative energy has made a mess of German power production

Power Line:
It’s been a tedious chore to track the slow motion train wreck of Germany’s energiewende, or “energy revolution.” Climatistas here have long touted Germany as the model we should follow. Think of it a renewable energy uber alles.
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Irregular and unpredictable wind and solar power is increasingly becoming a problem for Germany’s power grid. Utility company Tennet TSO spent almost a billion euros last year on emergency interventions to stabilize the national grid.

That’s what the company announced earlier this week. The costs were thus about 50% higher than in 2016 (660 million euros) and around forty percent higher than in 2015 (710 million). Tennet is responsible for the electricity supply in an area that extends from Schleswig-Holstein in the north to Bavaria in the south of Germany and accounts for around forty percent of Germany’s total area. In particular, Tennet is responsible for important north-south transmission routes.

The reason for the increase in emergency interventions is the rising number of solar projects and wind turbines in Germany. The share of renewable energy increased from 29 to 33 percent of the electricity supply last year. Wind and solar power are irregular and often unpredictable. This makes the network increasingly unstable.
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There is more.

It is the inability of alternative energy to be able to scale power production to meet the demand that is the serious problem that is also driving up the cost because grid operators must have more dependable energy sources available to deal with the problem. 

New England is suffering from the same problem in dealing with the winter storm that hit the region.  California, which has the highest electric rates in the country has invested heavily in solar energy, but when the production exceeds the current demand the state must actually pay other states to take the excess power generated.

The inefficiencies of alternative energy make it a poor choice for most people although it might be worth the problem for someone living off the grid.

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