Skip to main content

tv   Kulturzeit  Deutsche Welle  November 11, 2020 5:30am-6:01am CET

5:30 am
discovered subscribe to the documentary on you tube. there are people who believe you can do whatever you want to our planet, and nature will just take its course. mother, nature is much money than us. still, our world is also a precarious place. the ecosystems we live in can be extremely delicate, but that won't always convince someone supercycle all buy stuff with less packaging or use renewable energy, or stop driving
5:31 am
a car or eating meat heaps more convincing the economics of going green. thanks for joining us here, mate. i've been fizzling, you can get wind water and sun for free. so why have we been digging around for oil this time? well, the tech was still too expensive, but it's not any more. and there are bigger and even bolder projects, like harnessing the force of the wind produced on the high seas. now, even though the wind is a lot stronger there than on land offshore, pocs aren't set to become the key to germany's energy transition. our reporter wanted to find out why, for someone afraid of heights he took this is simon to a whole new level when meeting the founder of one of europe's biggest wind farm operators. i'm meeting close my co-founder of the energy company, w. p. d. one of europe's biggest wind farm operators, w p. d runs clean energy parks on the andaman sea that produces a lot of power 1st. i have to prove i don't have for it because the trouble is 80
5:32 am
meters tall. it's pretty windy up here. i have a question for him. when it can germany carry out the green energy transition using only offshore wind farms. coal and nuclear energy generate about half of germany's electricity. that's bad for the end. vironment there in a given day or an edgy transition, wants to change that much more electricity needs to be generated by solar and wind power. because meyer knows that some germans oppose wind farms. w.p.b. also installs wind turbines offshore or that see beyond the horizon and they can't disturb anyone's few. couldn't all our electricity be generated there? this is the world's biggest offshore wind farm. it's turbines,
5:33 am
maggot's humans look like tiny ends in comparison. there are as big as the eiffel tower and can power 16000, households, germany consumes around 550 terawatt, ours of electricity each year. it would take more than $10000.00 of these turbines to generate that much energy. so that could work each client what need more than a square kilometer in space on the north sea of a baltic. that what i mean twice as many turbines in german waters than currently allowed it. what we'd better for germany to get some electricity from its neighbors . w.p.b. installs one turbines all over the world. what do they think? assuming an annual consumption of 550 terawatt hours can all of that be generated offshore. if i install turbines across the entire north sea and baltic economic
5:34 am
area, i could just about manage it, but it's not realistic. there are technological and environmental reasons not to do it. fishing vassal of generally have to keep away from offshore wind turbines, because then that's can destroy the underwater cables. and there are large nature conservation areas where throughout plants and wildlife and the north sea and the baltic. so space is limited. my initial contribution, none of the world's major coastal countries will be able to drive all of their electricity from offshore wind pox. let's take a look around the globe. even a large island, such as great britain with its long coastline with ballet manage, only small islands would be able to get all of their energy from offshore wind pox . so what's the solution? offshore wind parks council apply enough electricity. how could germany meet all its energy needs for 3 new polls?
5:35 am
the right solution is a mix of renewal sources. gas will play a key role and hydro power a limited wind. solar power has massive potential, and that can be a part of the mix. but the driving force will be onshore and offshore wind energy. off germany already gets more than half of its electricity from renewable sources. it wants to hit almost 100 percent renewables by 2038. scientists have calculated what the energy mix would look like them. at 300 terawatt hours, onshore wind parks, what to deliver more energy than offshore ones. but why is it that on shore wind farms like this will deliver the most elektra? certainly the systems that are being built today are much more powerful. with the $30000.00 wind turbines, we already have in germany will be able to produce 3 times as much electricity. so
5:36 am
after show wind parks won't be enough. what's needed is an energy mix. and that will change germany's landscape, brain bigger and more modern on wind turbines. and even more offshore turbines generating power at sea funds from germany's renewable energy sources act have guaranteed high returns and such as start up financing for a whole host of green energy providers. beginning in 2021, those subsidies will expire for plants that are more than 20 years old. that aleve, many bio gas plants, solar and wind turbine operators are profitable, also throwing a spanner into the works. a coronavirus lockdowns have seen energy demand plunge. we went to meet some of the small electricity produces will lose out this wind turbine has been in operation for 20 years now and can still produce renewable
5:37 am
electricity. but the operators have decided to close because the state guaranteed subsidies have run out. we have decided to take the plant off the grid on december 31st and we will dismantle all the turbines and scrap them and wind power in bio gas or a key part of germany switched to green energy. yet state subsidies for this bio gas plant are also running out after 20 years. the subsidies were too generous at 1st and now suddenly the tap is being turned off and that's difficult. above all because people assume that the subsidy program would be continued at the moment. there are long faces all around. it's then a diet come on used to be a farmer, but he switched to electricity production. instead, he feeds his bio gas plant with maize silent, and horse manure, and feeds the electricity generated into the national grid. the state has been
5:38 am
paying him a feed in tariff of up to $0.24 per kilowatt hour, irrespective of current electricity prices. i get 22 to $0.24 now and that will drop to $0.18. i have to save the difference somewhere. and at the moment i don't see any way to cut costs in the production process. in fact, the plant needs more investment to ensure it turns a profit in the future and die to manas also missing out on an important source of income. he cannot sell the heat that's produced along with the power of his former farm is too far from developed areas for that and his fields are too small to enable him to run the bio gas plant with homegrown maize. he has to buy it from neighboring farmers at considerable expense,
5:39 am
to continue operating by a gas plants with fewer state subsidies. operators will need to make significant investments. that's what us of a has done. he's able to sell his waste heat and can feed his bio gas into the gas grid. the munich local authority buys the bio methane from him. to make that happen, he spent some 2000000 euros upgrading his facility. that's beyond the reach of many energy producers. if you don't want to drive my colleagues into bankruptcy, but you have to do your sums very carefully. and in some cases, the most sensible decision might involve shutting down the bio gas plant. that's what van i die tomorrow is likely to end up doing. he would have to invest over a half a 1000000 euros to upgrade his plant at just 15 years from
5:40 am
retirement. that's a financial risk. he's unlikely to take wind power operator. hawse tomatoes is also planning to shut up shop. the wind farm earns him and his partners a comfortable income over the last 20 years. but the good times are now over. he estimates that around 40 percent of wind turbines, in the northern german state of lower saxony are no longer cost effective. you can work it out for yourself. we produce 700000 kilowatt hours of electricity. we get $0.09 now, and that means we're paid to feed in tariff of between 50060000 euros. but if that drops to below $20000.00 euros a year, and it's not going to cover our costs that renewables seem to be on the retreat without state subsidies, some 40 percent of old bio gas plants are also no longer profitable. the
5:41 am
government's price guarantees helped green energy, find its feet in germany. now the industry is having to go it alone. the whole world could be on the cusp of a giant boom in solar energy though. and that's because of the huge drop in the price of the technology. international renewable energy agency says in the past decade, solar costs of fallen by 82 percent. we visited an energy provider that's installing, germany's biggest, so the park in the state of brandenburg these panels are pretty easy to install, but there are thousands of them still to go. in the countryside near berlin, germany's biggest solar park is taking shape to us and the project manager sector has been growing significantly in recent years. between 20102012, there was
5:42 am
a big expansion. and then 3 years ago there was another major increase in terms of rooftop systems. but also on the ground operations, big solar parks are really taking off. germany is aiming to phase out coal powered by 2030 days. nuclear power will be switched off soon. 2. so will solar be able to meet the country's energy needs? and how will it change the landscape? half a 1000000 molecules built on metal frame, 100000, mounting posts, 250 kilometers of cable. 150 fisher is working on behalf of one of germany's biggest energy companies. we definitely have the potential to complete projects of this scale,
5:43 am
but rather than size, it's the viability of the project that counts for you. this solar park is the size of $225.00, soccer pitches. facilities in europe tend to be smaller because they compete with agriculture for the arab areas of india, for example, from solar parts can provide enough electricity for half a 1000000 households. but solar parks alone aren't enough. here in germany, there are 19000000 apartment buildings and houses the loss of roof space and an ideal place for solar panels on entire industry has been built around installing. now adays, the systems are very affordable and economical to run. since you basically don't have any maintenance costs to kind of course, the installations have become so affordable to install that they quickly pay for themselves out owns
5:44 am
a house with their roof tops solar system. in many cases, the system actually produces more energy than a household needs. as one of the things that makes it financially worthwhile is that the costs of heating your house or heating your water are pretty low. the equipment paid for itself in just a few years. after a zombie, alec trip, the fridge used is essentially free. max baucus says energy needs do exceed 40 produces though. that's because his family have 2 electric cars that need to be recharged.
5:45 am
all germany's approved for use to generate solar power. they cover the country's energy needs it's a company that builds solar parks across europe. and solar systems are important, but they won't cover our energy needs on their own. you have to set priorities. 1st, you have to figure out which roofs are technically suitable. and then you have to figure out which ones of those are financially viable. solar energy is expected to see significant growth in germany. by the time the last coal fired power station is switched off and 2038, there would have to be 5 times as many rooftop solar systems on parks as there are now to cover energy needs. solar energy would then account for
5:46 am
a quarter of the country's power output. the number of orders for new solar parks is growing fast. what's behind the boom? in the last decade, solar modules have decreased in price to around a 10th of what they were originally. we can now produce electricity in germany for $4.00 to $0.06 per kilowatt hour. you can't do that in a coal fired plant or nuclear power station, even after the initial investment has been paid off to germany because solar park project. 10 years ago, the operating company was one of the biggest nuclear power, pretty 30 in the country. they still burn coal fired plants, but that will soon be a thing of the past. these new energy sources will have to fill the gap and they've become a central pillar in our portfolio. since 2012,
5:47 am
we've seen growth in all new and renewable segments, including wind both offshore and onshore, as well as solar. these technologies will account for about half of our output by 2025. the solar panels made in china just keep on coming day in day as it's hoped. the park will be in operation by the end of the year. like washing machines and dishwashers, smartphones also seem to give up the ghost right after the warranty runs out. the child can burn a hole in your pocket. but is it a coincidence? or does it have more to do with clever sales strategy, known as planned obsolescence? decided to find out accidents happen.
5:48 am
you probably know that heart stopping moment when your phone breaks, your photos messages, contacts. when was the last time i saved a backup, basically our whole life because of these things which makes it so annoying when they break. but it happens all the time. what's interesting about this work on this pretty much everything. it breaks literally me behind this is, are these things built to break? so we keep buying new ones. ok, i think and we're going to find out what happened to all these broken phone. well, they create massive environmental problems. but let's start at the beginning. this is my old phone. it died a couple of years ago because the battery couldn't hold a charge anymore. today, despite all the comes in, is the world united in this body culture and fix it. this is repair kids. i ordered online for 25 euros. that's the battery that we're trying to get. it comes with all
5:49 am
the tools you need, pair of tweezers for suction, cup, tiny little screwdriver. and when you convert this hot, well, we'll see about that. for now, let's take a look at just how crazy we are about smartphones, by around 1500000000 of them every year. when you factor this really must be cheering. a lot of people actually believe they're inflating this thing called planned obsolescence. it was invented to stimulate the economy during the great depression in the u.s. . the basic idea is that the quicker a product breaks the sooner people will replace it with a new one. and some companies really did start to shorten the lifespan of the products. the filaments and light bulbs, for example, would make thinner so that they were going out, after all, just 1000 hours, instead of double and nylon stockings were designed on purpose to more easily even
5:50 am
though it's actually pretty strong material. that's one time. that's a problem for manufacturers. because your economic model so is the same true for smartphones. are they designed to break? the planned obsolescence is that there is intent, there is a smoke filled room with evil people. there's a more, ha ha, we're going to make these things dying 18 months. i'm not sure it works that way. well, instead, the way that this works is that the marketing people are saying to the crowd. designers don't put any effort into making this thing last longer than the lifespan the original bad. let's take a look at apple. they were sued because people noticed their phones got a lot slower after they installed a software update. and guess what, in 2017, apple admitted this was true and later agreed to pay a settlement. but they said that the threat of the phones to extend their lifespan,
5:51 am
not to get people to replace them. is this really true? maybe the thing is companies and might be doing this, but it's extremely hard to actually prove it. well, i want to talk to them about this. i reached out to the 3 biggest smartphone producers, a lot of them replied. but even if we can't be sure about planned obsolescence, it's got other ways to sell more phones. biggest advance in the history of dance. the most advanced i phone, we've never created every release of a new phone model is basically saying the one you bought last year is now olds. get a new one. you maintain your position in consumer society by what you own or where, how you present yourself. if you don't have to own the pieces of life, this is psychological obsolescence. convincing people they need a new phone,
5:52 am
even though they have one that works perfectly fine. even if you don't care about the latest fashion and would love to keep your old phone forever, let me tell you, they are quite hard to repair. this is the step that you open the case. there's a cable that's in there. no one can hold it with your hands. you don't pop the completely open the i just crack it open a little bit. ok. ok, i think imagine if you bought a car and the tires that came with it could not be replaced. so when the tires were out, you had to get rid of the car and get a new car. we would not put up with this. this would be crazy. and yet that's the situation that we have a smart phones. turns out the cables that are broken, it's not that important, but this is really hard. there are tiny screws that you need special screwdrivers for. and the biggest challenge, i think this is, is removing the old battery,
5:53 am
which is glued into the case. making things hard or impossible to repair, that's another strategy to get people to replace them more often. it's coming off. all that's left to do now is piece the whole thing back together. by the way, if you're going to avoid your warranty, the moment you open up your phone before you attempt to repair anything, be absolutely sure you know what you're doing. not like me. so it really closing up here, which makes me think i reassembled something wrong and break it. now. this is going in well up to this point and went pretty well, but i just can't get this thing to shut. how hard do they want to make it? i think and feed it. yeah, that thing is not powering on anymore. i tried for hours and couldn't replace something as simple as a battery. most likely what is happening is that you have
5:54 am
a loose cable. that's my remote in tech support. i think you can still get this thing running if you, if not, don't feel bad about he then your repair shop asin, the furniture for you could just throw it out. i mean, that's what a lot of us do and not just with our phones so that nobody speaking, we're generating no less than 20 percent of this is properly recycled. the rest poses a real danger to the environments and the people who process it or it never leaves the homes of all material. sleeping, you know, which was, you know, was very limited resources this, well,
5:55 am
all this material is not available for the book. and the senator from this group has a point, consumers, consumers a point, i think at the end of the day, everyone responsibility to see the electronics industry. and it's all our fault. if we can we can, we should and we must do better. i couldn't agree more, all those useless cables packed away in boxes a time over devices that become obsolete. it's easy just to dump them. but what about recycling them? at least all refusing to buy them in the 1st place. that's a little hot, but it would save you a lot of money than always having to keep up with the latest trends. the economics
5:56 am
of going green. i've been fizzling. see fit
5:57 am
come september 19th, 93 israelis and palestinians who signed the oslo accords. in the middle east seemed possible new videos and private documents to tell the story of the tough negotiations behind the scenes. for half the agreements reached and the bitter collapse of the occurrence abad, the oslo diaries. in 15 minutes on d. w.
5:58 am
where i come from, we have to fight for a free press. i was born and raised in a military dictatorship of just one division and a few his favorites, one official information. as a journalist, i have walked off the streets of many cantrips. and there, all those are all the same, 14 social inequality. a lack of the freedom of the press and corruption were done the far to stay silent when it comes to the fans of the film unseen or microphones who have decided to put their trust in us. my name is jennifer paris and i work a day dolly
5:59 am
in the us of climate change assumes months. i'm still going to tears today the future dot com for a good serious film. it could turn into deceased dentists journalism for human rights and the environment. insertion of the global media for the cause of 19 pandemic. the islands against environmental defenders has increased in love america. a nation of journalists is raising awareness for peace, a chance. but can journalism have an impact beyond create invisibility discussion?
6:00 am
more guns this is d.w. . new was one. it's amid political turmoil, a new president for peru, former head of congress manual marino was sworn into office just a day after his predecessor is ousted over corruption charges. but the move sparks protests in the capital with many calling it a power grab. also coming up, tackling terrorism in europe after a series of islam is attacks in france and austria. france's president calls for a coordinated campaign against terrorism. and.

24 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on