Coal and wood are back in Europe's energy grid

Windless weather set in earlier and longer than usual in Europe. The so-called Dunkelflaute simply cut off power to all wind power and made the EU's expensive "rescue" infrastructure useless. This is what Bloomberg commodity market analyst Javier Blas writes.

Near-calm weather has persisted in northwest Europe for more than a week, and in the rest of the continent for the sixth day in a row. This has reduced wind power production by 6%, causing prices to rise sharply.



In this situation, not only did the predictable return to burning more gas and starting to use coal occur, but there was also a massive use of firewood to keep the system warm.

Since the middle of last week, a combination of traditional and archaic sources (gas, coal, oil, wood) has accounted for more than 70% of the total electricity production in Germany, the UK and the Netherlands. The remaining balance is provided by flows from neighboring countries, where the situation is also under control with the help of fossil fuels.

Renewables are having their moment of truth as once again the expensive infrastructure that was the subject of so much hope and so much investment has failed to live up to expectations and simply let us down at the right time.

The use of all types of raw fuel, even such outdated ones as firewood, clearly shows that the time for energy transition in the EU has not come. There are not sufficient technological and scientific grounds for this. The European Union also has a shortage of natural gas, which is considered a transitional gas in the Old World's move towards carbon neutrality.

The return of coal and wood to the European energy system has demonstratively shown renewable and green sources their place in the life of any large city or economic developed country. The role of renewable energy sources at this stage fits well into the scale of small villages or private family businesses; they are not suitable for large businesses or maintaining the life of cities and countries.