sábado, 13 de março de 2010

A economia verde alemã

Depois de termos divulgado aqui os estudos relativos à falácia dos números da economia verde de Espanha e Dinamarca, segue-se a Alemanha. Via o excelente EU Referendum, podemos atingir o estudo "Economic impacts from the promotion of renewable energies: The German experience", do Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung. Atente-se no abstract, com realces da nossa responsabilidade:

The allure of an environmentally benign, abundant, and cost-effective energy source has led an increasing number of industrialized countries to back public financing of renewable energies. Germany’s experience with renewable energy promotion is often cited as a model to be replicated elsewhere, being based on a combination of far-reaching energy and environmental laws that stretch back nearly two decades. This paper critically reviews the current centerpiece of this effort, the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), focusing on its costs and the associated implications for job creation and climate protection. We argue that German renewable energy policy, and in particular the adopted feed-in tariff scheme, has failed to harness the market incentives needed to ensure a viable and cost-effective introduction of renewable energies into the country’s energy portfolio. To the contrary, the government’s support mechanisms have in many respects subverted these incentives, resulting in massive expenditures that show little long-term promise for stimulating the economy, protecting the environment, or increasing energy security. In the case of photovoltaics, Germany’s subsidization regime has reached a level that by far exceeds average wages, with per-worker subsidies as high as 175,000 € (US $ 240,000)

O documento é um autêntico maná, mas um verdadeiro pesadelo para os ecologistas da treta. Atenta-se, por exemplo, no seguinte:

Although Germany’s promotion of renewable energies is commonly portrayed in the media as setting a “shining example in providing a harvest for the world” (The Guardian 2007), we would instead regard the country’s experience as a cautionary tale of massively expensive environmental and energy policy that is devoid of economic and environmental benefits.

Na imagem acima, retirada do estudo, podemos igualmente confirmar que a tarifa "feed-in", para a energia solar fotovoltaica, foi de 43 cêntimos de euro no ano passado,um custo que é oito vezes superior ao custo da electricidade "normal", e até quatro vezes superior ao pago pela energia eólica! Esta, que é considerada uma energia com provas dadas, precisa de tarifas "feed-in" até 300% superiores aos da energia "normal" para ser competitiva. Repare-se ainda na evolução dos preços nominais, que subiram cerca de 100% em 10 anos. Não se admirem que os Alemães se vejam rapidamente gregos com estas estratégias.

A energia solar, apesar de contribuir com apenas 0.6% para o total de energia eléctrica produzida na Alemanha, recebe a maior fatia de subsídios, com uns impressionantes 8400 milhões de euros em 2008! Entre 2000 e 2010 estima-se que os Alemães tenham esturricado na brincadeira solar qualquer coisa como 53300 milhões de euros e 20500 milhões de euros nas eólicas...

Nem a lógica económica resiste. Fiquem com mais um extracto do documento, que vale pela sua leitura integral:

In fact, PV is among the most expensive greenhouse gas abatement options: Given the net cost of 41.82 Cents (Cents 63.00 US $) per kWh for modules installed in 2008 (Table 4), and assuming that PV displaces conventional electricity generated from a mixture of gas and hard coal with an emissions factor of 0.584 kg carbon dioxide (CO2) per kWh (Nitsch et al. 2005:66), then dividing the two figures yields abatement costs that are as high as 716 € (1,050 US$) per tonne. (...)
Since the establishment of the European Emissions Trading System (ETS) in 2005, the price of certificates has never exceeded 30 € per tonne of CO2.