@WarmKiwi
Norway even has 100%, as has Iceland, IIRC. Over 100%, in fact, as they export electricity. The difference is one of potential water and geothermal power (easy and cheap) vs population density. Germany does have - and has had for quite a while - somewhere around 5% water power. If Germany had the same population density as Norway or New Zealand, that would cover somewhere between 50% and 100% of their needs, but, thanks to the much higher pop density, they need more electricity than water can reasonably provide. Wind and solar are expensive and take a long time to build up, and of the fossile options, gas is the cleanest. Hence the choice for gas. (Nuclear is impossible due to politics)
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@WarmKiwi
Norway even has 100%, as has Iceland, IIRC. Over 100%, in fact, as they export electricity. The difference is one of potential water and geothermal power (easy and cheap) vs population density. Germany does have - and has had for quite a while - somewhere around 5% water power. If Germany had the same population density as Norway or New Zealand, that would cover somewhere between 50% and 100% of their needs, but, thanks to the much higher pop density, they need more electricity than water can reasonably provide. Wind and solar are expensive and take a long time to build up, and of the fossile options, gas is the cleanest. Hence the choice for gas. (Nuclear is impossible due to politics)