Germany’s green energy policy is now causing further problems for the country’s households and businesses. In addition to the electricity shortage following the shutdown of nuclear power, a state-subsidized overbuilding of solar panels is causing overloads in the power grid on sunny days, potentially leading to power outages in entire areas.

The green German energy policy has shown great similarities with the Swedish one, with the shutdown of nuclear power and a major focus on ‘sustainable’ and ‘renewable’ energy sources such as solar and wind. The difference is that the greens in Germany have had more influence compared to the Swedish Green Party, leading to more far-reaching energy policy decisions and more serious consequences.

After the Fukushima accident in Japan, the greens in Germany saw an opportunity to completely phase out nuclear power. They did not know how to quickly replace it with solar and wind, but they expected Russian gas through Nord Stream to compensate for the loss for the time being. However, the invasion of Ukraine and the energy crisis changed the situation.

Subsidies have led to overbuilding

Issues with solar and wind arise not only when it is cloudy and windless. The opposite, with too much sunshine and wind, can be just as problematic. Wind turbines have had to be shut down to prevent overloading the power grid, and now the same situation has arisen with solar power.

The reason is that the greens in Germany have pushed through state subsidies for those who install solar panels. This has led to a massive overbuilding of panels, which has accelerated further ahead of an upcoming change in government.

The rush to build is because by doing so, one is guaranteed subsidies for the next 20 years. A new government may revoke the distribution of new subsidies, but legally cannot cut off the subsidy flow to those who have already received them.

As a result of the subsidized overbuilding, extensive disbursements of tax funds will be locked in for a couple of decades. And as a consequence of the overbuilding, there will also be increasing risks of overloading the power grid during periods of abundant sunshine.

Emergency law voted down – power outages looming

What is needed now is expanded possibilities to decide to shut off solar panels to protect the power grid when the sun is blazing. However, such options do not exist today, and an emergency law, the ‘Solar Peaks Act,’ which would create such possibilities, was recently voted down in the Bundestag. At the same time, new solar panels are being erected at a furious pace in anticipation of fears that a new government will reduce or remove the subsidies.

If surplus solar panels cannot be shut off, the entire power grid may have to be shut down, leaving large areas without electricity. Paradoxically, too much electricity can lead to the same kind of ‘brownouts’ as a lack of electricity.

This scenario is now being warned about by the German system operator 50Hertz in an interview with Welt. However, politicians are preoccupied with resolving the government crisis, positioning themselves for the new election in February, and dealing with the rise of the nationalist AfD as the second largest party in the polls. Therefore, the expansion of solar power continues to gallop ahead with loose reins.

More countries in the same situation

Germany is not alone in this problem. Another country where green energy policy has led to similar problems is Belgium. However, many more countries may be on the verge of facing the same situation, as uncontrolled expansion of solar panels without consideration for the capacity of the power grid during periods of abundant sunshine is ongoing in several countries where green parties have had a significant influence on energy policy.

Even under controlled expansion, solar power faces problems of this nature. The sun shines only during certain hours of the day, and these hours vary depending on the season. Similar problems also exist for wind power, which in some respects is worse. The sun’s movements are at least predictable, while the wind is more capricious, and weather forecasts have time limitations and uncertainties.