Renewable energy is the main topic when it comes to green living. One imagines a solar panel under the glistening sun, and another imagines wind turbines spinning as they drive on the expressway. Renewable energy remains slightly controversial in the US, as people state reasons for or against it.
Take a deep dive into renewable energy in Germany to look at current trends in their Energiewende or energy transition. Through extensive research and reaching out to a professor at a local university, I’ve learned a few things about renewables in Germany:
German Renewable Energy is “Freedom Energy”
I spoke about renewable energy with Professor Gerd Heilscher from the Technische Hochschule Ulm (THU). Prof. Heilscher specializes in energy data management for decentralized renewable energy systems. He and his institution conduct onsite research on renewables, how they are used and how they can be more efficient.
We discussed the Energiewende and its rapid development in response to the Russian War on Ukraine. After the war began, the cost of gas and energy increased as sanctions on Russian imports ensued. This motivated people to invest in renewables as solar panels and photovoltaic (PV) systems became cheaper. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)defines PVs as technology that can “generate electricity from direct sunlight via an electronic process that occurs naturally in semiconductors.” These technologies are used in various other devices, such as my TV remote.
Heilscher said the war was more of a blessing in disguise regarding the energy transition. The war on Ukraine did slow down the energy transition and economic growth in 2022 as people spent less money that year. Germany pulled through by the end of the year with an inflation rate of 8 percent, avoiding a “widely expected recession.” The energy transformation persisted, and some Germans now call renewables “Freedom Energy,” signifying the independence from Russian gas and fossil fuels.
I agree with Heilscher that “transition” isn’t the right word to describe this rapid installment of renewables. He said it’s more of an energy transformation. Walking through the neighborhood and taking my dog out, I see new solar panels installed each week. According to an article from Clean Energy Wire, the German government plans to quadruple solar power capacity and double onshore wind capacity by 2030. Heilscher says it means every home in Germany will have solar panels or PV systems installed by 2030. With this rapid installment, “transformation” would be a better word to describe it.
The Real Cost of Renewables
Heilscher mentioned how renewables are much more affordable now in Germany. It’s the same in the US. SEIA states in an article that the cost of solar energy dropped to about $2 per watt compared to almost $8 in 2009. The installment cost has also decreased since more trained professionals entered the field. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWK) has researched the economic effects of renewable energy in Germany. Quantifying the macroeconomic impacts of renewable energy is difficult, but the effects are significant.
The energy transformation has created more jobs in renewable manufacturing, operations, and services. A lot of investments were made in the energy industry because it is one of the most critical sectors of Germany’s infrastructure. Skilled workers are needed for this transformation, so the investment resulted in higher employment.
Renewable energy producers need materials to make the technology. Industries from different sectors can provide the resources, conduct business and create more jobs in different sectors. The steel industry is an example of this, as it is the leading supplier of wind turbine production.
Another reason renewable energy can be economically practical is the amount of energy saved from them. Heilscher and his team at THU analyze energy usage from renewables in different testing sites. One site includes a residential neighborhood with half the houses covered in PVs. They found PVs produce more energy than is needed for the home. It sounds odd to hear, considering the weather here is generally cloudy. In the winter, it gets worse with the sun setting in the late afternoon. How can these solar panels generate more than is needed in these conditions? When Heilscher was a student, he learned it doesn’t take much sunlight to power a home throughout the year.
“During the day, you might not be home,” he says, “you have a load of a few hundred watts, but your system gives you 5000 watts. Generally, 1/3 of what the sun offers you, you can directly use.”
The other 2/3 of the energy is stored, and excess power is fed back to the network. How can the energy be fed back to the grid, and how can energy from the grid be managed using complex technologies like PVs?
Smart Grid Technology: The Middleman of Renewable Energy
Smart Grids are the digitalization of the energy transformation. This new technology allows a “two-way” connection between consumers and their utilities. Automation and AI can record data on energy consumption and evaluate energy management systems.
Heilscher brought me to THU’s Smart Grid lab, which runs simulations and multi-level tests on its components and systems. The lab imitates the control center for a distribution system operator and connects to about 150 houses. On one side is the control room itself. On the other side are solar panels, solar inverters, storage and smart meters. On top of running simulations, the lab powers the entire building and the buildings surrounding it. There is another smart grid in Ulm that uses real clients. According to THU, the benefits of smart grids include the following:
- More efficient energy transmissions.
- Faster recovery after outages.
- Cheaper prices for utility companies and consumers.
- Increased integration of large-scale renewable tech and improved security.
Heilscher explains it a step further. There’s an expectation that a smart grid network should never “break,” but things happen. A smart grid can experience about 10-20 minutes of power outages annually. Heilscher says that transformers powering small neighborhoods need to be more resilient and flexible in energy to avoid potential power outages, including preparing for scenarios like extreme weather and cyber-attacks.
Heilscher and his team also use energy meteorology forecasting with smart grids. They use weather forecasting to determine what type of renewable energy is more efficient in a particular situation. As we all know, extreme weather follows every American from coast to coast, so energy forecasting could be helpful as the US progresses in renewable technology.
How Farmers Can Benefit from Renewables
Farmers have a potential benefit when switching to renewables. Heilscher learned of the services energy companies offer with renewables in his visit to the US about ten years ago. Energy companies can take a portion of the energy bill to install solar panels. Over time, the energy bill becomes cheaper. He noticed this deal wasn’t popular with rural American farmers but with homeowners in suburbs or cities. He says farmers can benefit from the investment as operations become more sustainable and get more bang for their buck, saving energy.
For some farmers in the US, the investment is too much. I lived in Iowa when I was in college, and I can understand the adversity many farmers face. 2019, I remember a significant snowstorm sweeping through Iowa, followed by a major meltdown the next day. Farmers in Iowa and other bordering states along the Mississippi River lost billions of dollars in damages. Going through that is discouraging, and I would hesitate to invest in renewables after a major disaster. Heilscher agrees that the investment may be out of reach but can still be worthwhile.
German farmers were the first to install PVs on their roofs. They are used to making significant investments in their farms, so another investment wasn’t a big deal to them. However, they face a different adversity than American farmers: a lack of land. Heilscher explains that because Germany is densely populated, there’s no room to add grounded PVs on farmland. A recent development called “agrivoltaics” could be a way to allow more PVs to be installed on farms without interfering with daily operations. An example of agrivoltaics could be PV’s built like a fence. Heilscher says this fence would stretch from north to south so that you can gather solar energy from east to west. You get less energy in the middle of the day but still enough power from the morning to keep going.
“Of course, we are in the beginning with this kind of installation,” says Heilscher. He’s unsure if a solar fence interferes with farming, but it’s a solution that can be useful in the future.
Solar Panel Recycling
There are several reasons people are against renewables. One reason is that once they reach the end of their lives, there’s no way to manage the newly produced waste. Heilscher argues this is a common misconception and that technologies like PVs are recyclable. He says a solar panel can guarantee 25 years of power output after installation. Once that solar panel is defective, it doesn’t become waste. It becomes a resource.
“You separate all the parts,” he explains, “you [remove and reuse the aluminum] frame. You remove some of the glass, and there’s some plastic in between, and then you have the cells. The cells are the most valuable part of it, and you rebuild new solar modules out of these materials.”
One thing to remember about PVs is that the fuel cells start with sand and eventually turn into silicone. When it comes time to replace the cells, the silicone has to be melted down and replaced with another fuel cell. Silicone can be reused to make more fuel cells; the replacement cell may already be recycled.
Heilscher mentions companies in Germany that already specialize in PV recycling, including a service called PV-Cycle. The main issue they’re experiencing is that no PV modules need recycling. They’re still looking for old modules today. Heilscher is confident this is a temporary problem as more PVs are installed daily in Germany.
It’s Up to the Individual to Make the Change Themselves
It’s the most important thing about an energy transformation, according to Heilscher. More people must want to make the change, but he says it’s sometimes misunderstood.
“A lot of papers say ‘you should go there,’ or ‘you should go there,'” he says, “but in the end, it’s the people who invest their money. It’s people who decide to pick this heating or buy that heating. We have to look at it more from this standpoint.”
Heilscher visualizes the energy transformation in Germany today as an awkward puppy. There’s development and growth, but they’re not quite there. In April 2023, only about 13 percent of purchased cars were EVs, and the other 78 percent, he assumed, either didn’t like EVs or couldn’t afford them.
Many Germans are on board with the energy transformation but have no idea how to go about it. It looks like a case of “there are too many options, and I’m indecisive.” Heilscher says, on the one hand, you can switch to electric heating with heat pumps. On the other hand, you could reuse old gas heating technology to stop producing more of them. There are many ways to start on the path to green living, but you only have to pick one to get started.
Toward the end of my interview with Professor Heilscher, we discussed how an energy transformation in America could be possible. Most uninhabited American land has enough space for renewable energy systems. However, a few obstacles are standing in the way, one being that the US is vastly larger than Germany. I recall an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver about our electric grid and how parts have not been updated since the 1950s. On top of that, there are conflicting opinions about investments in renewable energy in general.
Some Americans are ready for an energy transformation, but we must be realistic about our next steps before diving into the Energiewende pool. We may have to start small, and it may not involve PVs or windmills.
Jackson Lebedun is an independent journalist who has written articles about sustainable living in Germany. He lived there for two years with his husband and dog, but they now reside in Illinois. In his spare time, Jackson likes to frolic in nature and make friends with trees.
