There is tremendous public concern about an upcoming energy crisis in Europe and specifically in Germany. I will first assess the actual situation of Germany using, as basis, the “energy triangle” – security of supply, affordability, and sustainability. The options for future clean energy forms are rather limited. It is obvious that renewable energies will play an important role in the future supply mix. This is the reason why their intrinsic properties and limitations have to be presented and discussed in detail – under what circumstances are renewable energies sustainable, what are their limitations (e.g. of biomass), what are the technical consequences of the intermittent nature of wind and photo-voltaic power, what is the national potential of renewable energies of Germany, what are the electricity import options within Europe, is a storage system devoted exclusively to electricity meaningful, what is the possible role of hydrogen and how much electricity and energy can Germany produce by itself. The political plans for the German supply in 2030 and the role of methane for the transition period of the “Energiewende” will be discussed. At the end, if there is still time, I will try to confront the local energy problems with a more global perspective.
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