Final Word from Wednesday, November 2, 2022
For at least 10-15 years there has been talk in the energy sector about what to do when a critical mass of households and businesses switches to alternative sources of energy and cuts itself off from the energy grids. Prices of solar panels and heat pumps have dropped considerably from an efficiency standpoint, and high energy rates due to the Green Deal and the war in Ukraine have tilted the calculation even further in favor of local solutions. Yet the fixed costs of the energy grids remain the same or increase, thereby disadvantaging customers who are unable for technical or financial reasons to become self-sufficient. MP Václav Král of ODS wants to address this by banning disconnections from district heating. This is just a foretaste of what is to come. At some point special fees or taxes will be imposed on those who cut themselves off from the grids. Political leaders have known this all along but kept quiet about it as a way to hide part of the real cost of the global energy transformation. [ Czech Republic transition natural gas electricity piped-in heat ]
Glossary of difficult words
critical mass - an amount necessary or sufficient to have a significant effect or to achieve a result;
grid - a network of cables or pipes for distributing power;
to tilt - to change or cause to change in favor of one person or thing as opposed to another;
foretaste - a sample or suggestion of something that lies ahead.