Natural gas: Germany's ticking time bomb of the energy future!

Natural gas: Germany's ticking time bomb of the energy future!

Berlin, Deutschland - In Germany, the focus is on the discussion about natural gas and its role in energy supply. Currently, natural gas covers a quarter of the energy requirement in the country, while the proportion of renewable energies is significantly behind. According to Climate reporter Germany depends on natural gas imports-up to 95 percent is related abroad. This dependence carries risks that are often ignored by political decision -makers.

The spaetzen discussion about natural gas unfolds whether it serves as a “transitional technology” or whether the increased investments in new gas power plants and the approval of new gas heaters are actually the right way. Professor Volker Quaschning from the University of Technology and Economy in Berlin warns that such a strategy is hardly sustainable if the expansion of photovoltaics, wind power and storage technologies is not promoted at the same time.

The double click on natural gas

natural gas is often praised as a clean energy source, since it has relatively low CO2 and fine dust emissions compared to other fossil fuels. According to the BDEW it offers advantages in many areas of the energy transition. Natural gas can act as a valuable building block both in the electricity sector as well as in industry and in the heat market. Cities and municipalities have a strongly expanded natural gas network of Nearly 500,000 kilometers, which is often used well.

Nevertheless, it shows that the existing solutions are not sufficient to achieve the ambitious climate goals. The majority of natural gas use is no longer necessary to convert excess wind and solar power into hydrogen.

renewable energies in the upswing

The future of energy supply must be clearly aligned in the direction of renewable energies. The Environmental Office impressively demonstrates that renewables have already avoided 256 million tons of CO2 equivalents in 2024. The wind energy remains the most important energy source for greenhouse gas avoidance.

Current studies show that most electric companies and the traffic industry are still dependent on fossil energies. A rethink would have to take place here to improve the climate balance of industry and mobility. Innovative technologies can therefore only make their contribution if they actually prevail in width. A clear strategy to reduce the dependency on natural gas and the promotion of renewable is essential.

In the civilian population, the acceptance of natural gas is still high: According to BDEW, 42 percent of natural gas surveyed would choose new heating systems, while 74 percent of existing natural gas users would choose again. The challenge remains how a healthy balance between the use of natural gas and a targeted expansion of renewable energies can be created in climate policy.