- Germany is one of the leaders in the world when it comes to renewable energy.
- The European country is starting an aggressive phase-out of coal as an energy source.
- Soon, the country could be fully powered by clean and renewable energy such as wind or solar.
The solar power and renewable energy scene in America have more or less turned quite grim in the recent past. This is all due to the fact that a new policy from the current administration is forcing a significant 30 percent tax on foreign-made solar panels. This mandate has put a lot of financial and production burden on solar power companies in the U.S.
What was once an initially expected growth for the solar industry in the U.S. might not become a reality because of the said tariff from the Trump administration. What makes this situation quite alarming is that other developed countries outside the North American continent have been making steady progress with clean and renewable energy sources.
One such country is Germany, which is now steadily making progress to being independent of nonrenewable energy sources, particularly coal, which is expensive and causes pollution. At the rate at which Germany is replacing its traditional electricity sources, the European powerhouse could be fully utilizing clean and renewable energy in the next few years.
Germany’s example
Perhaps, we at the U.S. should take examples from countries which are enjoying more affordable and cleaner electricity. Germany’s wind and solar farms which are its primary means of producing renewable energy have surpassed lignite and hard coal as sources of electricity. This is a first for the country and is sure quite an achievement that sets a good case that renewable energy can eventually replace non-renewable sources.
As such, this could be seen as an indication for Germany, that the country is starting to eliminate dirty fossil fuels in its market and industry. Now if only every country in the world could follow suit, there certainly would be a lot less pollution, and a lot fewer diseases in urban communities.
At the moment, Germany’s clean power generation from its wind and solar farms constitute about 36.3 percent of the whole country. Meanwhile, its coal power generation is down to 35.1 percent for the whole country. Soon, the gap is expected to be wider and the usage and power generation from wind and solar farms are projected to increase.
“A market-driven, step-by-step exit from coal power is already in full gear. Renewables are on the march but what we need more urgently than ever is to accelerate the expansion of the grid,” according to the Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft (BDEW) which is Germany’s association of clean and renewable energy.
The country is not stopping there
Germany is surely not going to end their progress in there, they already admitted that they are going at it full speed and are rushing to replace coal with a safer and cleaner energy source. In this case, wind and solar. Of course, this would not have been possible without the adamant priority given to clean energy in Germany.
Then, there is also the fact that the cost of carbon permits is increasing, making it difficult to run an operation that uses coal-generated electricity. It is all part of Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel whose administration has pledged to phase out coal for good in the country.
It can also be recalled that Germany is making progress on the solar power front, particularly with its state-of-the-art home battery storage system which promotes the use of solar panels. One such brand is Sonnen and their acclaimed sonnenBatterie storage devices which can help residential areas take advantage of the excess electricity generated by solar panels.
Recently, SunPower by EcoSolar USA has paired up with Sonnen in order to introduce better solar power saving options for American citizens and businesses. We take pride in being part of the solution and hope to see the day that we can follow in the renewable energy footsteps of Germany.
Without a doubt, Germany is starting to make revolutionary changes not only for its people but also for its environment with the help of renewable energy. Hopefully, we could all start doing the same thing in the U.S., the solar power companies on American soil are always ready for that change.