For most Americans, energy and renewable energy sources are in the news but rarely are a cause for concern, outside of gas prices at the pump. Not so for Europeans, as there is an impending energy crisis looming over all of Europe as the demand for energy surges in the coming winter months, leaving some people literally in the dark and cold.
Nearly all European countries adopted green energy polices in the guise of fighting climate change, forgetting about the true consequences of a limited power supply, brought forth by Europe’s socialist green energy sycophants. But with winter coming, the day of reckoning is here as energy costs are soaring for supplying much-needed power to heat and light homes and workplaces.
It is currently estimated that the energy prices are already 10 times higher than the five-year average. “Natural gas prices topped $3100 per 1000 cubic meters in mid-August, a 610% increase over the same time last year as measured by the Dutch TTF market. At this price, many power stations cannot afford to operate for long. As a consequence of the rising cost of input fuels, benchmark electricity prices in Europe have surged almost 300% in 2022, breaking records,” Time reported.
The war in the Ukraine seems to be the main focal point of the cause of this energy crisis, but the true blame can only lay at the feet of European governments and their ill-advised energy polices. Now countries are scrambling to store energy and advising measures to people to navigate through difficult times ahead — especially after Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev threatened on August 28 that gas prices will hit $5,000 for 1,000 cubic meters by the end of 2022.
During warm weather, cooling equipment consumes electricity, which may be generated by natural gas, wind or solar power, coal, geothermal, biomass, or nuclear. Then in cold weather, energy consumption draws mainly from fossil fuels, especially natural gas and oil, as most heating systems are still petroleum-fueled. Thus, the demand for natural gas will increase dramatically come winter. Add the war in the Ukraine and Europe’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, and oil, and the uncertainly of its availability becomes highly suspect.
Thus, Europeans are now in the process of preparing for a long, cold, and expensive winter heating season. Some people are seeking alternatives to heating and others such as bakers are talking about giving up, while fruit and vegetable growers face letting greenhouses stand idle.
An AP article on the energy crisis stated that people in poorer Eastern Europe are stocking up on firewood, while in wealthier Germany, the wait for an energy-saving heat pump can take half a year:
“We can’t turn off the lights and make our guests sit in the dark,” said Richard Kovacs, business development manager for Hungarian burger chain Zing Burger. The restaurants already run the grills no more than necessary and use motion detectors to turn off lights in storage, with some stores facing a 750% increase in electricity bills since the beginning of the year.
High natural-gas prices have already pushed people and businesses to use less and have forced some energy-intensive factories such as glass makers to close. Even fruit and vegetable growers in the Netherlands, who are main winter food suppliers for Europe, may shutter greenhouses or take a loss because of higher heating and electricity costs.
As AP reported:
Bosch Growers, which grows green peppers and blackberries, has put up extra insulation, idled one greenhouse and experimented with lower temperatures. The cost? Smaller yields, blackberries taking longer to ripen, and potentially operating in the red to maintain customer relationships even at lower volumes.
“We want to stay on the market, not to ruin the reputation that we have developed over the years,” said Wouter van den Bosch, the sixth generation of his family to help run the business. “We are in survival mode.”
Bakeries are now running fewer ovens and keeping them on longer to spare startup energy, narrowing pastry selections to ensure ovens run full, and storing less dough to cut refrigeration costs. Some small bakeries are contemplating giving up.
Not all of Europe is facing the energy crisis. Norway is fortunate to have a vast amount of its electricity produced by hydropower, and with its fossil-fuel reserves, is now Western Europe’s largest oil and gas supplier. Norway will be relied upon quite heavily as winter arrives and the Russia/Ukraine war potentially squeezes the West and Europe’s supply down.
Europe’s dependence on natural gas to heat homes and businesses this winter can only be another hard learned lesson, as Europe and the world acknowledge that natural gas and oil are still needed to keep the lights on and homes warm. And not for just this year, but for decades to come until true solid renewable energy sources are developed and proven.
