Overengineering and Underthinking
Many professionals consider machine and mechanical products from Germany over-engineered. Vehicles such as Mercedes Benz, Porsche, BMW, and Audi are often recognized as prime examples. Our youngest daughter drives a BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) vehicle which turns off when stopped at every signal light or stop sign and then restarts when the gas pedal is depressed. While there is only a split-second in the restart process, and this was intended as a fuel-saving device, I found it quite irritating.
German over-engineering is not a recent development. It, in point of fact, assisted the allies in winning World War II. Aircraft, vehicles transporting troops, and especially German tanks were considered over-engineered using costly materials and excessive and meticulous labor to construct. This hindered both the number of tanks that could be manufactured as well as the inability to repair them once they broke down in the field. The German series of Panzer and Tiger tanks while most impressive in comparison to the allied tanks of Sherman, Pershing, and others, also contributed to the downfall of the war – it was because of fuel shortages for this machinery that helped doom German offensives, especially during the infamous Battle of the Bulge from the middle of December 1944 to the end of January in 1945.
The current and impending fuel shortage in Germany is again a result of war, but not their own conflict, however, this affects every sector of that nation. Despite decades of touting a full conversion to renewable energies, while relying solely on Russian supplies for oil and natural gas (LNG) and ridding themselves of other fossil fuels, Germans may be in for a disturbing reality this winter.
Note from the chart below, after all this time, peddling renewable energy only 6.7% arrives from that source. This includes hydro, wind, solar and geothermal. While they claim, waste and biomass as renewable energy, which is almost twice as much as the other renewables, I consider their use ecologically hypocritical. Both materials require burning and thus generate as much, if not more carbon dioxide than fossil fuels.
The linked article, from Pleiteticker, which I had translated into English, writes that natural gas reserves “are emptying at record speed.” After a rather mild November, so far December is proving to be one of the coldest in years. It goes on further to state, “In recent days, gas storage facilities have therefore been emptying much faster than before. From December 12 onwards, more than one percent was withdrawn from gas storage facilities in Germany every day.”
Despite citing that “Last week, almost one-third of all electricity was generated from natural gas. These are record figures”, the article goes on to state, “The head of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, criticizes the situation on Twitter, "It's due to cold temperatures and gas power generation, but it puts a strain on the gas storage tanks and shouldn't last the whole winter." Despite the record cold, Müller continues to call for savings. "A national gas shortage in winter can be avoided if, firstly, the savings target of at least 20 percent is still achieved."
So, Müller calls for the consumer to continue with vast conservation measures, but not once, blames the real culprit, the failed government energy policies and not, despite advice on more than one occasion to avoid full reliance on Russia for the supply of all their gas and oil needs.
As evidenced by the linked video, Germany is getting some LNG from other sources, however, this at most will only tally 6% of the total requirement. This action is assuredly an admission of their blunder in eco-bureaucracy, but they, like all eco-political affairs, will never generate an admission or an apology.
In an endeavor to produce both a luxury vehicle (Porsche) as well an inexpensive, small family vehicle (Volkswagen bug), Ferdinand Porsche relative to engineering practices once said, “It is better to enter a turn slow and come out fast than to enter a turn fast and come out dead”. For the citizenry of Germany and other European countries let’s hope they make a turn, much faster than slower towards, assured, effective, and continual energy supplies and sources.