(Düsseldorf) Europe has been trying since the beginning of the war in Ukraine to make energy reserves to compensate for the reduction in Russian natural gas and oil imports. In Düsseldorf, we are tightening the energy belt now to avoid the worst next winter, but above all, for all the other winters to come.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
Difficult to make your way through the Rheinstrasse on this evening at the end of September. In front of the legendary Uerige brasserie, where the glasses ofAltbier are served by the entire tray, a brass band warms up the huge crowd gathered on each side of the street.
The evening is cool, but the hearts are at the party. There is no indication that people are particularly concerned about the cold, very cold winter forecast due to the end of Russian gas deliveries to Germany.
“Obviously people talk about it a little bit, but it’s not a theme [qui préoccupe]not yet”, recounts conversations with her customers Géraldine Marionneau, owner of a kiosk selling French specialties in the nearby market.
This is exactly what the City of Düsseldorf is hoping for and it is taking major steps to ensure that citizens are spared energy restrictions in the coming months. “Our only goal is to avoid an energy shortage,” explains Christan Zaum, head of the “energy” crisis unit and city commissioner.
To do this, Düsseldorf will heat the buildings under its management for two months less than usual, from November to March, and will reduce the temperature in all its offices by one degree Celsius. The local administration has also closed some buildings in preparation for the winter. A total saving of approximately 5% to 6% on its overall consumption.
The City will even tackle its almost sacred network of 14,000 gas streetlights, one of the last in Germany, 8,000 of which will now be closed between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
” [Ce réseau de lampadaires] is part of our DNA. It is at the heart of a huge political debate. There are many people who want us to keep them. But, of course, the current situation leads us to rethink the whole system,” admits Mr. Zaum.
Structural changes needed
According to the most recent estimates on German energy storage, the country’s reserves are already more than 85% full.
But Christian Zaum actually believes that the following winter will be much worse. It will necessarily be necessary to find other ways of heating since the gas will be either inaccessible or too expensive. And in the case of Germany, it will take a lot.
Before the war in Ukraine, almost a third of Germany’s energy consumption came from natural gas, of which more than 55% was supplied by Russia. The vast majority of heating systems in Germany run on gas.
In any case, the City’s emergency plan in the event of the use of energy restrictions is clear. Large companies will be the first to be affected. First, because the distribution system facilitates a direct cut while SMEs are connected to “energy islands” that supply both shops and private residences. But above all, because no one in Germany wants to put direct pressure on the population, pandemic learning.
“The positive thing in all this debate is that the aspect of sustainability has taken the place of political arguments. We can no longer cheat because we have to reduce our energy consumption to avoid a crisis and, therefore, the decisions we have to make must be real decisions,” says Christian Zaum.
For her part, Géraldine Maronneau knows that, cut or not, her electricity bill will increase by at least 30% over the next few weeks.
Another problem that governments, German and European, will have to face in the coming months.
Sobriety or energy restrictions?
“The best approach to prevent these energy restrictions is to prepare to be energy sober because that means that we can do a lot of things with a lot less energy, explains Pierre-Olivier Pineau, professor at HEC Montréal and holder of the Energy Sector Management Chair. The best way not to suffer from these restrictions is to reduce your needs. One thing is certain, the term “energy sobriety” is not new. It is even used in official documents in Canada and Quebec, while the context is not restrictions or lack of supply.
Other measures in force in Germany
– Ads on light screens must now be closed after 10 p.m., with some exceptions.
– Historical monuments and public buildings usually lit for purely aesthetic reasons must now be left dark. This is the case for many tourist sites such as the Victory Column in Berlin or the Cologne Cathedral.
– In public buildings, heating should not exceed 19 degrees Celsius, except in hospitals, daycare centers and schools.
– No more hot water in the sinks of most public buildings. Some cities have even gone further by turning off hot water in sports centers and public swimming pools, which are also not heated.