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The last point is just depressing. It's now 12 years ago that we started the Energiewende... It could have been the perfect opportunity to get away from oil, gas, nuclear and coal, before anyone was really talking about it. But what has come of it? We still have ridiculous laws, hindering solar and wind. grid upgrades are blocked. Villages are bulldozed for coal. Energy companies got billions because of "lost revenue". Super dependency on the east, which backfired immediately. The highest energy prices in the world for average people (!), also to subsidize our export industry. And the best thing: no one is blaming the government who mismanaged it. No. Everyone blames the people who wanted and want a greener environment.
And for what? 19%?
And gave your solar industry to China. German Q Cells were smashing it.
For whatever reason, western countries did not see solar module production technology as a protected category. So when Chinese companies decided to enter the market, it was remarkably easy. They just went ahead and bought the most advanced solar cell manufacturing equipment available. Most of it from Germany. Replacing expensive German workers with cheaper Chinese ones gave Chinese companies a real price advantage - in some cases as high as 20%.
https://www.asianometry.com/p/how-china-won-the-solar-industry
I hate that part so much. We paid a ton for the development until very recently work the EEG. And then some asshole just sells it to China for a quick buck and (then chancellor) Merkel doesn't give a fuck. 16 years of disgrace.
the German solar industry was sacrificed to protect the access of german car manufacturers to the chinese markets.
So 5 years of BMW and VW and Audi profits were put before centuries of one of the leading future industries.
It's so wild that they just casually threw the domestic solar industry under the bus but kept subsidizing coal because of "jobs".