Renewable energies – a critical look at price dynamics and grid fluctuations
The development of renewable energies has fundamentally changed the image of the electricity market. What was initially considered a beacon of hope for socially acceptable and sustainable energy production is increasingly becoming a price driver with serious consequences for households, companies and the public infrastructure. The feed of wind and solar power at times with low consumption canCause astronomical price swings – the market fluctuates partly from negative prices, where consumers are rewarded for consumption, to sudden cost explosions that go beyond the budget of many people and companies.
vulnerability of the market and infrastructure
The fluctuations are intensified by the poor predictability of the renewable feed-in. Without sufficient storage and flexibilities, times with heavily overcrowded networks are created, in which the price falls into the abyss – and dark doldrums drive the prices to unimagined heights. This volatility is a systemic weakness: It makes investments more difficult, increases the risk ofproducers and buyers and acts like a permanent financial threat to all those who depend on stable prices. Allocation effects from funding mechanisms and grid costs make electricity more expensive because the financing of the expansion is carried out on the back of end customers and companies.
Loads of grid fluctuations – risk for technology and quality of life
The volatile feed-in requires an enormous need for regulation in the power grid. Stress spikes and instabilities arise that massively endanger sensitive electrical appliances and production systems. The lifespan of electronics is shrinking, control systems are canceled and costly repairs are the result. Companies and private households must constantly retrofit – additionalProtection technology, backup solutions and cost-intensive downtimes are further digging the household budgets and the income from companies. The risk is hardly distributed; If you have little, you end up carrying the biggest loads.
The antisocial shift of costs
For end customers and industry, the current development means a double burden: Electricity prices are rising in the long term, and adaptation to the new market mechanisms becomes a feat of strength that often ends in uncertainty and restrictions. Those responsible are hoping that storage solutions and flexibilities will one day alleviate the problems – but the realityshows how expensive and socially unfair this transformation process will be for many. Price dynamics trigger cold progression, destroys economic planning and makes the power supply unpredictable to many.
Social consequences and economic damage
The consequences are not only felt by individuals, but also by entire regions: Small providers are lost in competition, public services of general interest are suffering from financing gaps and the security of care is becoming more and more fragile. With every price shock, with every technical failure, the fear of the next blackout, of economic uncertainty and social division grows. The promise of aGreen future turns into bitter reality, which severely shakes belief in social justice and effectiveness of the energy transition.
Between hope and reality
Renewable energies should create a better and fair power supply. Scientific and practical everyday life now shows that fluctuations, uncertainties and allocations endanger the quality of life and social cohesion. Those responsible must finally face the social, technical and economic realities instead of always the moment of truthto push further out. Only through an honest re-evaluation of the risks and costs can possibly be prevented that the energy transition will become an ongoing burden for many and even an existential crisis for some.
