Posted on 06/29/2012 8:16:14 AM PDT by listenhillary
Energy poverty is sweeping over modern Germany like never before.
Flagship German newspaper Die Welt has an online report titled: Fast 800.000 Deutsche können Strom nicht bezahlen. In English: Almost 800,000 Germans cannot pay for electricity.
As Germany subsidies wealthy homeowners and businesses owners to install solar panels on their homes and commercial buildings, low income families living in rented apartments are getting stuck footing skyrocketing electric bills. Many can no longer afford to pay for electricity, and so the utilities are cutting off their power.
Indeed high energy prices are causing everything else to get more expensive as well - all this while the euro is threatened to collapse under the weight of massive debt due to financial ineptitude.
So it’s little wonder that German politicians are beginning to panic and coming up with really nutty solutions. Instead of scaling back the cause of the energy mess (government meddling in the energy sector) they are threatening to do the opposite: i.e. meddle even more – much more.
Aribert Peters, Chairman of the Bund der Energieverbraucher (Association of Energy Consumers) says that already 600,000 to 800,000 people in Germany have had their electricity cut off, all thanks to skyrocketing electricity prices due to friendly green energy. Spooked, a number of leading politicians and consumer advocates are now calling for financial assistance for low income households, i.e. energy welfare. Die Welt writes:
"Energy companies should be obligated to offer the first 500 kilowatt-hours per household at a low rate, SPD (social democrat party) faction vice chairman Ulrich Kelber demanded in a strategy paper, which he wants to present to the SPD leaders.”
Peters of the Association of Energy Consumers, however, goes even further, saying there’s a need for a general cost exemption for the first 500 kilowatt hours consumed per year and household. The exemption should apply to all citizens.
Also the VdK Social Association of Hesse-Thuringia is demanding social tariffs. VdK chairman Udo Schlitt says that without a price rebate, more and more people with low incomes are going to have their power shut off. He proposes:
"Therefore all power producers must be mandated to offer binding social rates by law.”
So in summary, here’s Germany’s latest energy plan: 1) Force power companies to buy exorbitantly-priced, inefficient and intermittent-supply green energy on one side, and then force them to give it away, or sell it at a low price, on the sales side!
How long can that go on before it all collapses?
Well said. You’re a lot smarter than Algore.
Thanks (I think)
Considering any one of my pet cats is smarter than AlGore I don’t know how to take that statement.
The world is full of stupid people who will go along with their government on every single issue even if it means their family has to sit in the dark and do without modern conveniences.
... had met almost 50% of their electrical demand with solar power for the day...
... and only for one day, and it wasn't hot, and the wind was blowing good.
I think a brown out smoked his computer, and he can no longer FReep...
reminds me of the joke (Maybe from the Onion) about congress voting to reduce gravity by 50% to stimulate the economy.
I think you're right. If he was able to FReep I'm sure we'd get a very good explanation of why so many Germans are in the dark. I'll bet it will be even better when they shut down all of their nuclear power too.
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