Analysis: Expensive winter ahead as Europe's power prices surge

[NNadir]

It seems that despite all this "green" so called "renewable energy" taking over Germany - we hear time and time and time again that it's "cheap" - and that offshore oil and gas drilling hellhole, Denmark, electricity prices in Europe are surging.

It seems there is a shortage of the dangerous fossil fuel dangerous natural gas to burn followed by unrestricted dumping of the dangerous fossil fuel waste carbon dioxide directly into the atmosphere.

Analysis: Expensive winter ahead as Europe's power prices surge

Short article, but here's a few excerpts:

FRANKFURT/LONDON/PARIS Sept 10 (Reuters) - A record run in energy prices that pushed European electricity costs to multi-year highs is unlikely to ease off before year-end, pointing to an expensive winter heating season for consumers.

The key benchmark EU and French power contracts have both doubled so far this year due to a confluence of factors ranging from Asia's economic recovery - which sent related coal and gas prices soaring - to political will to drive up European carbon emission permits, higher oil prices and low local renewable output.

The benchmark EU power contract, German Cal 2022 baseload power , on Friday set a new contract record of 97.25 euros ($115.09) a megawatt hour (MWh), while its French equivalent was just off a record 100.4 euros/MWh...

"As soon as the market realises there is a real flow going through it, the gas market will go down," said Slavov.

...Gas demand from power stations has been high due to lower than average wind speeds in Europe, curbing power generation from wind farms.

Analysts ICIS Energy said wind generation in Germany over the next two weeks is expected to average only 5 gigawatts (GW) a day compared to an average of over 10 GW for the three previous Septembers...

...European steam coal prices for power generation are at 12-year highs, and at 13-year peaks in Asia.

At least one factor, nuclear availability in major power exporter France, should bring peace of mind as engineers have worked hard to improve the fleet - though Europe-wide, the picture for nuclear is mixed, as power stations in big markets like Britain and Germany close.

Current French daily nuclear availability is seen at between 45 GW and 47 GW for September, which is about 73-75% of the installed total and between 6 and 7 GW above the five-year average, according to ICIS and data from grid company RTE.

November and December availability should be near 90%.

The reason for this is clear despite all the hoopla we hear about how "cheap" wind and solar are, but almost always escapes attention.

The reason can be made obvious by asking the following question: How expensive is wind energy when the wind isn't blowing?

[Miguelito Loveless]

1. Sad that the wind will never blow again

And the sun has gone out forever.

[NNadir]

2. My what a compassionate and telling response! Should we say of poor people...

"Let them eat the contents of their refrigerators before the contents rot from a lack of power, because eventually the wind will blow and when it does, they can restock their food until the next time the power goes out?"

One of the good things about the winter solstice, is while the sun is only shining for a few hours a day, the poor people can store their food on the sidewalk if the wind isn't blowing at midnight.

Of course, this is not an issue, the cost of power, that should concern the wealthy bourgeoise with their stupid worship of electric cars, their solar cells on their McMansions, their nice drives to Greenpeace clown shows their willingness to tear up virgin land for wind turbines that will be landfill in 20 years, and of course, their complete and total indifference to who drowns as the climate breaks down, how many forests burn from climate change, who dies from heat exhaustion when there's no air conditioning, or who freezes to death when their is no power in winter.

They'll do what they have been doing for years, burn gas, dump the waste in the planetary atmosphere and tell all future generations to go fuck themselves, because the sun sometimes shines and the wind sometimes blows.

All the same to them. The wind will blow and the sun will shine...eventually.

It sort of reminds one of Greenpeace's activism again Golden Rice, because you know, if the poor people don't want to go blind, why not just drive to GNC and pick up some Vitamin A pills.

Pretty loveless bunch. It about sums up the people who led us to this disaster. They couldn't care less about humanity.

Ignorance and moral indifference kill people, not that those who kill by indifference or ignorance give a shit.

They're very much like anti-vaxxers, these types, never open a science book, wave their hands stupidly, and repeat their insipid dogma and care not a whit for the consequences of their dogma.

[Miguelito Loveless]

3. My response said nothing of the sort.

it was a sarcastic response to your characterization of the problem. You proved my point with this response.

[NNadir]

4. Really?

I think the weak attempt at wit says quite a bit more than may be recognized (or perhaps admitted) and I stand by my interpretation.

The fact that weather and insolation was abandoned in the 19th century as primary energy sources was very much involved with human poverty, and the reactionary effort to make humanity depend on this variability is clearly an expression of indifference to said poverty.

To claim my response proved anything other than demonstrating contempt for the poor, demonstrates only the inability to understand what one is implying.

Any interest in the soaring electricity rates because of dependence on the wind in Europe and their effect on the poorest citizens, or does the OP just inspire an attempt at a contemptuous giggle?

(Antinukes tend to giggle a lot while the world burns.)

No?

Why am I not surprised?

[Miguelito Loveless]

5. Brevity is the soul of wit