[RedDevil]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

This is your future if you try and rely on "renewable" energy. Germany is only halfway down that track now, it will get a lot worse.

Contrast the "heat vs eat" balance with the lower energy costs in the US.

One of my friends lives there, and last July when I was over we came to talk about the German energy politics.

The energy costs in Germany are not that high, just comparable to what we have here in Holland.
The main difference is the way solar power gets promoted. The subsidies between the dikes are scarce and even if you can get it it hardly reduces the cost.
In Germany they cover most of the cost. The result is that you see solar panels on a lot of houses, shops, factories, etc. over there.
On sunny days they provide so much power that there is no such thing as a power peak at work hours, very unlike our situation.

On the whole, he was quite happy with the situation and felt it is the way to move forward. No doomsday thinking there.

Of course there are some problems.
The German law that 'green' power must always be put into the net (cannot shut off windmills in a power overage) for instance does cause trouble on days that are both windy and sunny. A bit more flexibility there could keep overall cost down and stability up.
The missing power cable to Borkum is a stupid planning mistake - or a calculated blockade of the aforementioned law. Green power on itself cannot be blamed for that, nor the rest of German green policy.