Energy Security as the Most Important Factor in Deciding Germany`s Mix - Essay Example

ENERGY SECURITY AS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN DECIDING GERMANY’S ENERGY MIX INTRODUCTION Energy security is related to a country’s ability to meet its current and future energy needs in a manner that is affordable and does not impact adversely the country’s environment and sustainability. It is a complex theme centred around resilience, reliability and sustainability of energy supplies. Four different concerns govern energy security from a policy maker’s point of view: 1) fossil fuel prices’ stability; 2) energy resources’ long-term availability; 3) how energy production impacts global and local environment; and 4) how violence, disasters etc impact energy infrastructure. There are various ways in which the energy mix could be improved in order to meet the priority. The increasing world carbon dioxide emissions can be mitigated through enhanced energy efficiency measures. If the best available technology were to be applied to the global manufacturing industry, emissions would be reduced. (Frank Umbach, 2008) There should be supporting energy-efficiency policy by domestic measures, international financial institutions and carbon dioxide incentives, and development programs. Other methods could be optimizing the life cycle of materials. Thus, developing more efficient motor systems. Most importantly, the government should encouraging industry and government to cooperate in the development and use of energy efficiency indicators. We need energy security. Energy security is the availability of relatively cheap, conventional supplies of energies. These continue to be important drivers of national energy policy in countries like Germany. With reference to the electricity production of Germany, energy security is the most important factor in deciding a country’s energy mix. Hence, this paper explores on the importance of energy security as a deciding factor in Germany‘s country mix. (Jeffrey W Eggers, 2009) Sources of energy in Germany: The sources of energy in the country are varied. In the fossil fuels category, it is crude oils and natural gas liquids that form the abundant chunk, and include usages in motor and aviation gasoline, kerosene, diesel oil, and petrochemical feedstocks; feedstocks include all oil products used as raw material in the petrochemical industry for steamcracking, and aromatics plants, such as naphtha, liquefied petroleum gases, light and heavy gasoil, reformate, etc.). Coal and coke products include peat and coke. Natural gas (includes both non-associated gas originating from fields producing hydrocarbons only in gaseous form, associated gas produced in association with crude oil, and methane recovered from coal mines (colliery gas). (Daniel Argyropoulos, 2008) The following data demonstrates various energy production and consumption in Germany in thousand metric tons of oil equivalent. According to year 2000 statistics total energy production was 134,317 which, since 1980, is % change of -28%. Energy imports in 1997 were 233,959, energy exports were 23,769. Total energy consumption, 1999, was 337,196; out of which electricity consumption was 40,166. In 1997 energy consumption per capita was 4.23 which, in comparison to 1990 is a % change since of -6%. Energy consumption per GDP 1999 was 182 which, again, is % change since 1990 of -17% It is importance to incorporate energy security more systematically into the country’s policy. What Germany have at present are secure. What is being done with it now is to further secure energy sources. Germany is planning for harnessing these energy sources to its full potential in the immediate years. Germany will work further to attain more energy efficient buildings, appliances, equipment, industrial processes and transport systems. This country plan on developing more bio-fuels. Specifically, the country will promote second generation bio-fuels in order to become fully competitive alternatives to hydrocarbons. The country is getting large scale offshore wind competitive within the short term period. This is paving the way towards a competitive Germany offshore super grid. Germany is getting photovoltaic electricity competitive to harness solar energy. It is using fuel cell and hydrogen technologies to exploit their benefits in decentralized generation and transport. There are ways to manage rapidly depleting resources so that one and all can derive an advantage and conflicts be averted. "Energy Security" addresses all of these questions, arguing for an urgent overhaul of international law and institutions to control relations with countries such as Russia, that own the world's remaining fuel supplies.. The future must belong to renewable energy. (Kraenner 2008). In an age where entire countries can be held hostage to the turn of a tap, this hot-button issue is at the top of many political agendas. This hard hitting book lifts the veil on the new energy crisis, and advocates an urgent overhaul of international law to prevent economic and environmental disaster. What Mix of Energy Sources Does Germany Need? The mix of energy sources which have lots of opportunities that Germany needs are the renewable energies such as the hydropower, wind energy, geothermal, solar thermal power plants, photovoltaics, biogas, solid biomass and biofuels. The availability of these renewable fuel sources tend to be available in various amounts, hence, there is a good mix of all of them. Huge amounts of energy could be generated from wind power. In Germany, an estimated 100 megawatts of heat are currently being generated through geothermal energy. The total technical potential for the geothermal electricity generation is around one thousand two hundred (1,200) exajoules that represents some six hundred (600) times Germany’s annual electricity demand of c. 2 exajoules. Ninety-five per cent (95%) of the potential is from crystalline rocks, four per cent (4%) from fault zones and one per cent (1%) from hot water aquifers. An additional thermal energy potential is around 1.5 times the potential from electricity generation. That is in case no heat pumps are used, and 2.5 times if heat pumps are used. (Peter B. Doran, 2009) Solar photovoltaic is considered to be very expensive of reneewables and touches about 25 cents per kilowatt hour. After being part of a building, it can be seen as a part of whole chunk of supply. Internationally, Germany takes second place to Japan in photovoltaic power generation. Bio-fuels have all kinds of opportunities. It include making ethanol to burning the bio-fuel directly to run power plants, to gasifying it to make it into a natural gas. These renewable are often termed as containing large potentials. Germany should depend much on renewable energies. Mobilizing renewable energy is the only prospect for lasting, emission-free, benign, and inexpensive supplies. Renewable Energy has unimagined advantages. (Balamurugan, S. et al, 2009) Germany should not depend on nuclear power and coal. These are emitting carbon dioxide which is contributing to the global warming. World coal reserves are sufficient to fuel several nations of continued consumption at current levels. Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel. The coal should be phased-out as soon as possible. Nuclear energy is overly expensive and very dangerous. It needs big volume of water to operate. Besides Uranium supplies, which it needs, are limited. The source that Germany should implement and start investing in is the renewable energies. Its economic leaders believe that the country should become a global leader in the energy technology. Hence, there should be a shift towards renewable energy sources. Renewable energy produce electricity without fuel costs. Germany should develop and implement a national renewable energy industrial development plan. Establishment of a Global Renewable Energy Investment Bank is a bright idea for the country. Germany is set to require renewable energies for New Homes in 2009. Its renewable energy sector plans to invest two hundred (200) billion euros in renewable energies. The country should kick start market transformation by targeting financial incentives to those investors, local and foreign, who will invest on Germany’s renewable energies as part of its Renewable Energies Sources Act or “Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz”. It is believed that this country should keep its political relations to secure supply of energy source by Germany should invest in researching on making bio-fuels, wind and solar energies as a major component of its energy portfolios. These are the sources that Germany already have. Another source that Germany should have is the ocean power. Germany should stop putting effort on nuclear power or coal. In the late seventies, nuclear energy was largely burnt out. This is as a result of the increased costs and public resistance. There is also the danger of nuclear terrorism. Terrorism can be by missile attacks on reactors. The nuclear energy sources contribute to global warming, hence, regulation of these should be in placed. (Hansen, J., et al 2006.) Energy Security-Business Security-Job Security Relationship: Renewable energy is also the answer to imminent crude oil and natural gas shortages affecting fuel and heating needs. According to the official consensus at DaimlerChrysler, Volkswagen and Ford biosynthetic fuels can be cheaper options and be produced quicker than hydrogen produced from nuclear power, which involves expensive infrastructure. The available potential could satisfy the fuel needs of the world as declared at the world biomass conference in Rome in May 2004. Energy-efficient solar construction would supply complete houses with heating and cooling energy. In Germany, there are already 3000 houses that do not require external energy sources. The Reichstag in Berlin is supplied with 85 percent Renewable Energy. It is high time that faint-hearted technological pessimism toward Renewable Energy and structural-conservative blindness be bypassed. Renewables must be ambitiously explored and promoted in politics, science and technology as nuclear power was once supported. The combined technological and economic optimization of Renewable Energy will be easier to realize than for nuclear power, while avoiding its incalculable risks. The future age of nuclear/fossil energy should be relegated to technological museums -- the sooner the better. CONCLUSION Energy security is a national priority of Germany. The country sees to it that they promote responsible use of these energies. The decisions that the country come up with are undertaken with a sense of their global impact. Energy security in Germany connotes a diversity of supply. Thus, the country is avoiding over-dependency on any single energy source. Germany encourages its people on maximizing self-sufficiency through the use of indigenous resources and at the same time pursuing the contracts and alliances that will help to secure reliable imports. To do this, Germany sees to it that energy security is enhanced by employing measures to increase the efficiency of consumption. In the absence of energy, there would be no industry. In the absence of industry, there will be no jobs. In the absence of jobs, there will be no future for Germany. It is therefore crucial that Germany has reliable and competitive energy supplies. The country needs an intelligent mix of energy sources. Prediction on Germany’s future is that this country will achieve a thriving and sustainable energy economy. It will achieve energy security since the country has grasped the opportunities behind the threats of climate change and globalisation. Through its efforts, it gained world leadership in a diverse portfolio of clean, efficient and low-emission energy technologies. Through the years, this country has become a link for prosperity. It has become a key contributor to growth and jobs. To achieve this vision the countries around the world must act jointly and urgently, thereby agreeing and implementing a European Strategic Energy Technology Plan accompanied with realistic resources. Germany’s technology plan is ambitious. But given Germany‘s development track record, it was able to better coordinate its energy security expenses, roadmaps and milestones. (European Commission, 2007) WORKS CITED Balamurugan, S. et al Optimal scheduling and operation of hybrid biomass/wind/PV energy system for rural areas, International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy 2009 - Vol. 7, No.1 pp. 113 – 126 CMDR. JEFFREY W. EGGERS, The fuel gauge of national security, Online at http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/2008/05/3434573, Accessed on March 17 2009 Commission Communication of 10 January 2007: "Towards a European Strategic Energy Technology Plan" [COM(2006) 847 final - Not published in the Official Journal] (Daniel Argyropoulos, Renewable Energy Sources Act in Germany - Current Status and Perspectives,2008, Online at www.solaterm.eu/publications/know-how_transfer/bmu_01_mr_argyropoulos_overwiev.pdf, Accessed on March 17 2009 Frank Umbach, Germany's Energy Insecurity, October 2008. Hansen, J., Sato, M., Ruedy, R., Lo, K., Lea, D., and Medina-Elizade, M., Global Temperature Change, Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, vol. 103, no. 39, 2006. Kraenner, Sascha Müller, Energy Security, 1st ed., Earthscan Ltd., 2008. Peter B. Doran, Collective Energy Security: A New Approach for Europe, Feb 2009 Read More