Advocacy for small scale energetic

Worldwide well known  and many times repeated is Schumachers college parole: “Small is beautiful”.  It has been replicated by generations of ecologists and peoples who want take care about life and live in simple and responsible way. The small is understandable, reguladable, the small has a scale of human dimensions. But there are also big, globalized things, for example sun power or planetary wind system, internet, saving of biological information in DNA or contemporary money system. Some of them are necessary life conditions, some of them are redundant.

There are many regions of human life, where we can see decentralisation movement. In small energy sources, independent house, local food, local bakery, farmers markets  in cities and so on.

Everything on our planet is energy driven, from smallest organisms to whole ecosystems. Every leave knows, that the surviving and propagation of the plant will be successful only in the case of sufficient energy intake.

Today’s energetic has two development routes. One is the small, decentralized way consist on sustainable and renewable solutions for family houses, buildings a villages and the second is big and centralized. It would seem that the first is most linked to people and families and the second one is good for  the industry and big  business, but this differentiation is not clear in all aspects.

The distinction is not given by the size, for instance the broad spread meaning, that the towns are not eligible for small renewable energy devices and that they need big  energy sources.  But on the contrary the well interconnected town energy infrastructure and huge roof area for photovoltaic installation and higher attitudes for small wind turbines eventually are making town  suitable places for renewable energy implementation. In towns is also escaping immense amount of waste heat or low potential heat, for example from big underground spaces. Many big world towns and capitals are now working on the aim to be renewable and sustainable (Munich, London...).

The subjects really interested on centralized big energy sources are the energy monopolists. In majority of lands, they are connected with political power and they are supporting each other.  They have plans for new big electric source and new electrical lines connecting and crossing continents together.

Big energy market player are planning big lines in Africa to connect the South African power plants with big hydro in the middle of continent. But if, this super grid, will not supply the small villages and hamlets. People will hereinafter moving. Moving to the energy source as manifestation of job seeking possibility is known not only from the developing countries, but as well from industrial nation’s history. For instance at  19. to 20. century divide, the migration to the coal mines in North Bohemia was about  30-40 % greater  than that to the Czech  capital Prag.

The centralized energetic system stimulate people´s moving from county side to towns, stimulate profit of big industrial players and is exploiting mainly centralized prime energy sources - coal, crude oil, gas or uranium. The income from this sources slips in to strange pockets in  foreign  countries.

 

The other important point is the ownership of renewable resources.  The majority, 51 % of Germane renewable owners in the year 2012,  are small private or coops owners. Adequate situation is in Danemark. Danish law assess  that private investor of any wind turbine higher than 25 meters should  offer at least 20% of stock participation to the inhabitants living around  4,5 km from the source. The local ownership is very important point for credibility of renewable energies. The decentralized system should be decentralized not in places only, but also in the sense of ownership. It has been often repeated, that solar energy is energy for all. If were possible direct customize solar shine or wind, the spreading of renewable energy shall be probably more quickly. But nobody, except the owner of renewable source, gets some profit from delivery of solar or wind power.

We have seen, that people´s feelings “we have our energy” is very important point of the energy change, it is a challenge for further development. People feel they are a part of new (energy) system. We have seen it in many cases, some in Czech Republic, as well as in other countries in Europe and Africa. The village Kněžice, the first energy independent seate in Czech Republic is excellent example of following local activities, initialised by the villagers. There are raising various economic, social and local politic actions. In Kněžice was build old people's home in very nice manner, it is running reconstruction of old mill house, where a new education centre will take place.

The main parts of dispersed  stable renewable  energy solution is complex of technology and public participation.

 

In general it is not possible to declare, that a big energetic project have always problems. For instance in Germany exist already a successful major project, namely the conversion of fossil and nuclear energy to renewable energy (in German: Energiewende). The Renewable Energy Sources Act has laid the foundation, and progress - despite considerable resistance just planning the established energy companies - is impressive. In thirteen years, (between 1999 to 2012) has in Germany increased the share of renewable electricity in the grid from 5 to 25 percent. It is the best world example for renewable electrification. This goal has been provided by application of Renewable energy act.

The Renewable Energy Sources Act is the most successful Germany´s political export item and it has been adopted in more than 60 countries. The efficiency of this law is much greater than those of so called quota system. Power generation, as promoted by the Renewable Energy Act is decentralized and in the hands of many small vendors. Their structures are small or medium. Small producers of renewable energy sources are more innovative than large corporations. Renewable energy construction and maintenance is a fruitful competition from many flexible companies that are associated with very different motives behind it. Their dynamic existence ensures in long term better prices than the structures of the old monopolists.

 

But they are also exemptions. According to the extraordinary strong financial and political friendship between energy monopolist and the main political parties, from the left to the right side in Czech Republic has the monopolist easier life, than in other countries. Each legal step done in energetic is saving and supporting  the strong position of CEZ monopoly.

The important part of supporting law is feed -in-tariff for renewable generated electricity. In the Czech law from the year 2005, has not been estimated the minimal price for renewable produced  energy explicit  and should be given yearly by the notice of Energy regulation office (ERÚ), but in accordance with the law at maximum decrease of 5%.  The surplus price is calculated to every consumer.

Due to this situation has been made a bad  price prescription in connection with other  reasons has led to opposition  to renewable energy.

For the year 2010 the price was estimated at 66% higher, than in Germany. This was big mistake and the parliament said that there has not been possibility for change, but it is very well known that in legislation pressure the parliament can make change very quickly, in few days, as we have often seen. But the price correction has not been done.

The situation starts to be dramatically and dangerous for renewable energy. The installation speed was forced by the highest price in Europe and the final yearly installed power  was the same as in Germany. But in Germany everybody knows, that this country is leader in renewable energy,  has big renewable industry and over 380 thousands employ people in renewable energy branch and broad civic support. In the year 2010 has been installed in  Czech republic 5% of the worlds 2010 installations. This is a huge part, for the nation with 10 million inhabitants. United States with 312 million peoples in the same year have installed 6% of the installation volume only.

In the year 2012 some of partly installed big photovoltaic devices in Germany have been demounted a transferred to Czech Republic. Pity that big installation of photovoltaic in Czech Republic has been realized in the first step not on roofs or facades, nor on brown fields, like in Germany, but on good arable fields. This has led to extreme negative wave in Czech society. The Czech society is not well-disposed towards ecology, partially due to political climate and major anti Europe attitude.  Also the political leaders from governmental parties from left to the right wings are anti ecologically and pro atom oriented.  Nobody in main Czech media is reporting about positive impacts of renewable energy, nor is mentioned cleaner production, less dependence on energetic imports or saving of fossil fuels and greenhouse gases emissions.

This reasons, in connection with less than half average salary in Czech republic in comparison to Germany has led to very negative understanding of renewable energy among Czech public. To partially eliminate his own error Czech Parliament add special tax on it.  According to some foreign politician it is the first time since communistic putsch in 1948 where the state has touched the private property by law.

 

The Czech story about disaster of renewable sources installation is a lesson we should learn .  It seems to be an example of manipulation against renewable energy and  immense support of the energetic monopoly. The message is, that the local development of renewable energies should lay in hands of civil society.  

It is possible to feed our word by renewable energy only. It will bring many advantages. Less dependency on fossil and nuclear fuels, less emissions CO₂, better environment, less pollution and waste. But on the other side new economical and social advantages can also be obtained: new working places for broad spectrum of technician, scientist, workers and revitalisation of socially devastated regions. And important - the new places will be for every time.

Poorest development countries  in Africa  import primer energy sources for  more money, that  is their whole export income. They are creating energy debts . This can be  stopped by renewable energy only.