The global energy transition is possible
The realizable message of the 21st century is: the complete transition to 100% renewable energies is necessary and possible in the next 10 to 15 years, and it is financially viable – in Germany, in Europe and in the world. This global solar revolution marks the dawn of a new era for humanity.
The global energy transition is possible
Hundreds of scientific studies have concluded that 100% renewable energy is both technically possible and economically attractive in a relatively short period of time. An ambitious climate policy must therefore always include a 100% renewable energy target. Due to the ever-faster growth of renewable energies and electric mobility – especially in China and the USA, in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and – surprise! – in Kenya, the markets for fossil fuels are gradually collapsing. In Kenya, only electric cars will be allowed to be imported from January 2025.
Over the last 20 years, China has become the world’s largest wind energy market. In 2023 alone, 80 gigawatts of wind energy were installed in China – two-thirds of the world’s total capacity. This means that China now generates ten percent of its total electricity consumption from wind power and plans to produce far more electricity from wind power than from coal in the future. China plans to build 300 megawatts of wind energy in the next few years. This change makes China a global pioneer in renewable energies, despite once being the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. China previously generated 70 percent of its electricity from coal.
But India, which will overtake China as the world’s most populous country in 2023, is also blessed with renewable energies. The Indian government has set itself the goal of generating half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and wants to use this ecological goal to rise to become an economic superpower, India’s Prime Minister Modi has announced.
In India and Pakistan, the climate crisis is already having catastrophic and deadly consequences. In June 2024, temperatures in both countries exceeded 40 degrees Celsius for days, reaching 50 degrees on some days. In Pakistan’s hospitals, the number of heat-related deaths increased fourfold compared to previous years.
This catastrophe led to a solar boom in Pakistan that was unparalleled worldwide. Solar power and solar modules became unbeatably cheap. Capacity grew by a factor of 28 within two years, largely privately financed and imported from China. This development is a model for hundreds of millions of poor people in southern Africa. In Pakistan, 40 million people still have no access to a regulated power supply. Electricity prices in Pakistan have risen by 155 percent in the last three years (Christian Stöcker, Spiegel column 15.12. 2024). However, those who have the option are now switching to solar power and saving up to 80 percent on their electricity costs.
In 2022, Pakistan had 0.6 gigawatts of solar power; by the end of 2024, it had reached 17 gigawatts, 28 times more. This development is only threatening for the old destructive energy industry. Around three billion people live in the three large Asian countries of India, China and Pakistan. They are leading the way in the green energy transition.
The claim made by diehards that the expansion of renewable energies is a “German solo effort”, as it is in the current German federal election campaign, is unfounded.
In Germany, the transition to a climate-neutral age continues to be bumpy. But there is no going back. Because the climate crisis is advancing at a relentless pace. The costs caused by storms, droughts and floods are higher than the costs of a timely energy transition.
DER SPIEGEL: “A change in consciousness is needed. Investments in climate protection sound high. They are in the trillions. But they are not wasted money. They boost the economy and finance tomorrow’s infrastructure. This is how future generations will generate their prosperity.” (Spiegel, July 15, 2024).
For Germany, which was a world leader in solar and wind energy until 2011, the motto today is: learning from China.
