Germany’s electricity prices double as “green” nightmare kicks in

German multinational electric utility company E.ON recently announced a piece of bitter news to its consumers – it is having a hefty double-the-price increase effective shortly.

“Consumers who heat with electricity and live in E.ON’s basic supply area have so far been able to benefit from relatively low prices for the basic heating electricity supply despite the energy crisis. But that will soon be over,” said the North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) consumer advice center. The notice period is two weeks after the firm has been provided with existing customers in the Alternative Tariff Offer.

NRW also gave important tips for those who wanted to leave. “Since the choice of heating electricity [rates] is smaller than with household electricity, we recommend that you first allow a longer contract term of up to 24 months in the filter settings. However, a shorter maturity of only twelve months is recommended,” Mueller explained as per the English-translated site. “To find a suitable heating electricity [rate], consumers need to know how the heating current is measured in them, which means which electricity meters are installed.” She also said that it would make sense to ask local providers about rate options because not all rates options would be found on the comparison portals.

The rate at which electrical energy is supplied to a consumer is known as a tariff. Although tariffs should include the total cost of producing and supplying electrical energy plus the profit, they cannot be the same for all types of consumers.

Meanwhile, reports claimed that Germany’s gas supply situation has become better than it was after Russia cut off supply last winter. E.ON’s boss insisted that the instability in the Middle East is the reason why energy prices are soaring. “It would take a lot for there to be gas shortages this winter,” CEO Leonhard Birnbaum told the Rheinische Post newspaper, noting stores were full and China, the largest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), was now buying less. And because much of the LNG which Germany now relies upon comes from the Gulf, instability there would have an impact, he noted.

“If there is an escalation, that would have an impact on all energy markets,” he said. “They are more interwoven than before: not only the oil price but also gas and electricity prices. The Persian Gulf is the central route for oil and LNG.” Birnbaum added that there was no prospect of Germany’s decommissioned nuclear plants ever being reactivated, something opposition politicians have called for since Isar 2, Germany’s last plant, was switched off in April. “Isar 2 won’t go back online,” he said. “It’s already being dismantled. It’s no longer even technically possible.”

E.ON opens huge innovation center for electromobility to “go green”

The electric company’s business seems to be doing well amid its claim of energy crisis as it opened a new, state-of-the-art test and innovation center for charging technologies and sustainable energy solutions. The move is claimed to be part of the expansion of public and private charging infrastructure for electric vehicles across Germany and Europe.

At the new site in Essen, E.ON is testing and researching charging solutions on an area of around 10,000 square meters. The test lab has 25 stations and digital test environments are available for testing vehicles, charging stations, wallboxes and accessories. It also has five special climate chambers that allow E.ON engineers to simulate all temperature conditions that occur around the world, from freezing cold to extreme heat.

“Energy transition, clean transport, climate protection, all this will only succeed if electromobility gains even more momentum. We will build at least 1,000 additional public charging stations across Europe every year, further accelerating the transformation of traffic and transport. With our new test and innovation center, we are creating the necessary capacity to meet the growing demand for charging infrastructure. As a result, we are ideally positioned for the dynamic market development of electric mobility,” E.ON Board Member Patrick Lammers said.

According to Petrol Plaza, E.ON’s test lab is the only facility in Europe where fast charging in heavy-duty vehicles can be tested with up to three megawatts of power. The company plans to build at least 1,000 new ultra-fast charging stations per year in its European markets. In Germany, E.ON will build around 140 new charging locations with more than 1,200 charging points for the federally subsidized German network, making it one of the largest operators of the nationwide fast-charging network. This is in addition to the charging infrastructure E.ON is building for its customers across Europe.

yogaesoteric
January 28, 2024