Germany Responds to Donald Trump’s Lies About German Electrical energy Grid

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Germany could not have favored being pulled into Donald Trump’s closing arguments on the debate final night time, or possibly it did, however in both case, the nation has responded. Specifically, the German International Workplace took to X to appropriate the file.

As I wrote earlier in the present day, in his closing arguments, Donald Trump said the next: “You consider in issues like we’re not going to frack. We’re not going to take fossil gasoline. We’re not going to do, issues which are going to make this nation sturdy, whether or not you prefer it or not. Germany tried that and inside one 12 months they had been again to constructing regular vitality vegetation. We’re not prepared for it.”

As somebody who has adopted the German vitality story for greater than a decade, I didn’t even know what he was making an attempt to say. And I definitely didn’t know why Trump thought it was a subject to carry into his closing arguments. Representatives of Germany, nevertheless, appeared to seek out it humorous, in addition to a chance to focus on the work the nation has accomplished to advance clear vitality.

That is what the German International Workplace tweeted: “Prefer it or not: Germany’s vitality system is absolutely operational, with greater than 50% renewables. And we’re shutting down – not constructing – coal & nuclear vegetation. Coal might be off the grid by 2038 on the newest. PS: We additionally don’t eat cats and canine. #Debate2024”

Prefer it or not: Germany’s vitality system is absolutely operational, with greater than 50% renewables. And we’re shutting down – not constructing – coal & nuclear vegetation. Coal might be off the grid by 2038 on the newest. PS: We additionally don’t eat cats and canine. #Debate2024 pic.twitter.com/PiDO98Vxfo

— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) September 11, 2024

Right here (and on the prime of this text) is a chart from Fraunhofer Institute for Photo voltaic Vitality Techniques ISE:

As you’ll be able to see there, wind vitality alone, which has been Trump’s favourite clear vitality supply to hate on, attempt to block, and unfold false claims (i.e., lies) about, produced extra electrical energy within the first half of the 12 months in Germany than brown coal, arduous coal, and pure gasoline mixed! Wind vitality alone. The vitality supply that’s supposedly too unreliable and causes most cancers, in response to famous scientist Donald Trump.

Photo voltaic vitality, in the meantime, has already surpassed pure gasoline and arduous coal and is near surpassing brown coal. When it does that, it’s going to grow to be the second-largest supply of electrical energy in Germany, solely trailing wind vitality. (Properly, in case you mix arduous coal and brown coal, it’ll nonetheless be third, nevertheless it gained’t be too lengthy till it climbs above their mixed output.)

It’s humorous — of all of the international locations to attempt to spotlight to lie about renewable vitality and declare “we’re not prepared for it,” Germany has bought to be one of many absolute worst. It makes you marvel what sort of prep Trump did for the talk and for his closing argument, or simply how a lot he’s capable of hold a practice of thought or keep targeted. It additionally makes you marvel the place the heck he’s getting his info. Attacking renewable vitality and utilizing Germany for example? It’s simply bonkers. Possibly, because the German International Workplace alludes, it’s not as bonkers as spreading misinformation about immigrants consuming their neighbors’ cats and canine, nevertheless it’s nonetheless bonkers. It’s simple to say that the claims about Germany are comparatively minor in comparison with different issues Trump says, however they’re nonetheless objectively ridiculous. Let’s watch out to not normalize clownish, ridiculous, and dangerously silly conduct and statements.