Dry fountains, cold pools, less beer? Germans are on the path to energy saving #Dry #Fountains #Cold #Pools #Beer #Germans #TipToe #Path #Energy #Savings Welcome to OLASMEDIA TV NEWSThis is what we have for you today:
AUGSBURG, Germany — Wolfgang Hübschle went to the city council expecting a simple life and planted things like traditional festivals full of lederhosen.
Instead, these days he has the unpopular job of figuring out which traffic lights to turn off, how to lower temperatures in offices and swimming pools — and perhaps, when it comes down to it, to pull the plug on Bavaria’s much-loved but energy-intensive breweries. Pull.
City officials such as Mr Hübschle, the economic adviser to the provincial Bavarian city of Augsburg, have been on the frontline of a geopolitical battle with Russia since European Union leaders agreed this week to try to cut natural gas consumption by 15 percent amid fears. that President Vladimir V. Putin could cut exports in retaliation for Europe’s support for Ukraine.
Nowhere is that fear so great as in Germany, Europe’s largest consumer of Russian gas. With more than half of the gas supply coming from Moscow before the invasion of Ukraine, cheap Russian gas was a mainstay of Germany’s powerful industry. Officials even planned to double up with a second pipeline from Russia until the war forced the project to be shelved.
Augsburg is now one of the places leading the way in a conservation effort that stands for state growth, as some German cities offer financial incentives to cut gas consumption while others dim street lamps. But such efforts also extend far beyond Germany.
Across Europe, cities and municipalities are finding different ways to help citizens reduce energy consumption. Barcelona offers home efficiency assessments, while Warsaw subsidizes homes that replace fossil stoves with heat pumps. In the Meurthe-et-Moselle region of eastern France, a dozen villages have turned off their streetlights at midnight.
It is all in an attempt to outsmart Mr Putin, whose minds Mr Hübschle, oddly enough for a local official, finds himself trying to read.
Even if Europe just “gets along” with current reduced gas supplies, Mr Hübschle believes it could deter Russia from trying to cut supplies this winter.
“If Putin gets the impression that he can really harm the economies of the largest European countries, he will not hesitate to cut off the gas supply,” he said. “If it doesn’t hurt too much, he will choose to take the money instead of inflicting the pain.”
Although not binding for the time being, the EU’s consumption targets have sent a clear signal not only of European determination to stand up to Mr Putin, but also of genuine concern that European economies are at risk, especially if Germany superpower of the continent, the one hit.
Kremlin-controlled Gazprom underlined the threat this week when it cut power through Nord Stream 1 into Germany to just 20 percent, citing, unconvincingly, problems with its German-made turbines.
Europe’s shift from fossil fuels
The European Union has started a transition to greener forms of energy. But financial and geopolitical considerations can complicate the effort.
About half of all homes in Germany are heated with gas, while a third of the country’s gas is used by industry. If the coming winter is particularly cold, a shutdown would be brutal.
But future weather is hard to predict – as are Moscow’s ultimate intentions. Economists are also struggling to assess whether a lockdown could leave Germany in a 3 percent or 20 percent recession.
“If our brightest economists have no idea and admit it, how could I?” said Mr Hübschle.
What he does know is that Augsburg, with its skyrocketing energy prices, has already seen an 80 percent increase in spending – about 11 million euros. Officials are scrambling to avoid passing these costs on to residents.
Augsburg’s mayor, Eva Weber, even ordered the closure of many of the city’s fountains and limited opening hours for three fountains connected to the city’s 800-year-old water management system, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city’s initiatives have come after months of urging by Germany’s economy minister, Robert Habeck, who have taken painful steps for a green politician, such as reopening coal-fired power plants to replace those that burn gas and the rapidly expanding liquefied natural gas infrastructure. gas, along with contracting supplies from Qatar and the United States.
In a recent social media post, Mr. Habeck people to change their daily habits as part of the effort to achieve the country’s goal of saving 20 percent.
“If you think, okay, change the shower head, defrost the freezer, or turn down the heating, none of that matters — you’re cheating yourself,” Mr. Habeck said. “It’s an excuse to do nothing.”
Some officials have expressed concern that the government is creating panic. And some hope that incentives will encourage cautious energy consumption.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has pledged to increase housing subsidies and protect tenants from evictions due to unpaid heating bills. This week, Munich announced a €100 “energy bonus” for households that cut their annual consumption by 20 percent, and the utility launched an energy-saving competition for customers this fall.
Germans seem to respond. The Federal Association of Energy and Water said the country consumed nearly 15 percent less gas compared to the same period last year, a trend they attributed in part to the record price of energy. The costs will continue to rise at the beginning of October, if the government introduces a gas surcharge.
In response, space heaters and wood-fired ovens are selling out in many cities, and mini-solar panels are a long wait to power some household appliances.
Claudia Kemfert, an energy economist at the German Institute for Economic Research, said such cuts were critical but feared the country had wasted several months appealing to citizens rather than taking stronger action with business.
Companies have shown that they can reduce their gas consumption if they are not given a choice. Automaker Mercedes-Benz said on Wednesday it had cut 10 percent of its gas consumption and could reduce it by up to 50 percent while maintaining full operations.
“There is a lot we can achieve through market-based approaches, we need to exhaust every option we have in that area so we can avoid an emergency situation,” said Ms Kemfert.
City officials say they won’t be able to understand how much their efforts can help until they have more data.
In Munich, the capital of the southern state of Bavaria and an epicenter of German industry, Deputy Mayor Katrin Habenschaden is skeptical.
“I honestly don’t believe this can be compensated for, as much as I appreciate our efforts now to conserve energy.” she said. “I rather believe that we just need other options or other solutions.”
As a deputy in charge of managing economic affairs, she has helped the city with some sort of economic triage — assessing what kind of rationing different businesses might face. Companies, large and small, are seeking the city’s court to argue why they should be spared.
Bavaria is of particular concern because it is home to companies that power German industry, such as BMW and Siemens. The conservative regional government’s reluctance to challenge its heavy reliance on gas and make progress on renewable energy has also made it particularly vulnerable, argued Ms Habenschaden, a Green.
In Augsburg and Munich, local officials have requested that all city officials send their suggestions. An Augsburg official pointed out that the city’s two data centers had a major energy leak. They are now considering whether to rely on just one.
More calmly, many local leaders are pondering which energy-guzzling German traditions should be crushed, should the country be forced into energy rationing: making beer? Christmas markets?
Mr Hübschle said he believes Bavaria should close its famous breweries before its chemical industry faces gas shortages.
Meanwhile, Rosi Steinberger, a member of Bavaria’s regional parliament, now works in a dark office to cut its consumption, debating whether to stir Munich’s inevitable wrath by suggesting it cancel its world-famous Oktoberfest. It is scheduled to return this fall after a two-year pandemic break.
“I haven’t asked yet,” she said with a nervous laugh. “But I also think when people say there shouldn’t be taboos in what we consider — well, you have to think about that.”