Energy transition at the expense of reality

Windmills are truly beautiful. Elegant. Slender. White. They turn so peacefully in the sunset that you almost forget they never come alone. Windmills don't come in isolation. They come as a package. And this package is absolutely something special.

Wind turbines require kilometers of grid expansion. They require energy storage, which doesn't yet exist on the necessary scale. They also require fossil fuel reserve power plants to step in when the wind isn't blowing. And these are now being built because they are indeed needed. This is what's called progress with backup.

Yet in public debate, wind turbines are often portrayed as a self-sufficient CO₂ savior. Cheap. Clean. Without alternative. It would only be logical to allocate the costs and emissions of the entire system to this technology in a way that reflects the polluter-pays principle. But this isn't being done.

The Federal Ministry for the Environment admits that since 2004, there hasn't even been a systematic investigation into how much CO₂ is emitted during raw material extraction, manufacturing, and transport of wind turbines. 2004. That was twenty years ago. Apparently, it's enough that the rotors are turning – details only disrupt the narrative.

Things get even more bizarre when it comes to subsidies. According to statements from the ministry, there is no transparent overview of which energy source receives how much funding per ton of CO₂ saved. No comparison, no honest accounting. That would likely be unwelcome to certain lobby groups. So they prefer to keep quiet about it.

Wind and photovoltaics are considered cheap and low-emission. The fact that a significant portion of the costs is distributed indirectly through taxes and electricity prices remains discreetly in the background. Subsidies are now called systemic incentives. And anyone who looks for the bill is quickly labeled a hindrance to progress.

More and more people are realizing the strange logic of pitting climate and nature against each other. Forests are cleared to build wind farms. Large birds, bats, and insects are contributing to this transformation. The climate is being saved – by industrializing the landscape.

And then there are the figures. By 2045, an estimated 5400 trillion euros are to be invested in the energy transition. That's 270 billion euros per year. A sum that could give even optimistic budget planners pause for thought. At the same time, industry is complaining about high energy prices and relocating. Industrial production has been declining since 2017, while, in terms of energy policy, there's a sense of moral victory.

Of course, transformation is necessary. Of course, energy supply must become more sustainable. But when a transitional technology becomes an ideological long-term project, one is at least entitled to ask whether the math adds up. Wind power isn't free. Wind power isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. And above all, wind power is no substitute for an honest, comprehensive cost analysis.

But as long as the rotors are turning, everything seems to be in motion. And motion sounds like progress. Whether it's affordable is another question.