Germany is preparing for natural gas rationing. French power grid operators are asking consumers to use less electricity. In the UK, protests have been sparked by recent increases in electricity prices that have plunged millions of households into what a local think-tank calls fuel pressure.

At the same time, the soaring price of key metals needed for new energy and the time it takes to implement renewable energy projects mean that Europe is turning to fossil fuels to solve the energy crisis. At present, the EU is planning to replace Russian natural gas with imported liquefied natural gas, coal and even fuel oil, and a relatively small amount of natural gas with wind and solar energy.

The problem dates back to a few years ago and suggests that European governments have miscalculated that no matter what happens, Russia will always have a supply of natural gas. After all, even during the Cold War, Russia sent billions of cubic meters of natural gas to European countries. Now, the situation is different, not just because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

In fact, Europe has been trying for years to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, not only from Russian natural gas, but also from all other traditional sources of energy. The European Union recently boasted that renewable energy accounted for 37.5% of total electricity consumption in 2022, of which wind and hydropower accounted for 2/3 of total renewable energy output.

So it is tempting to ask why Germany must prepare for gas rationing while France requires its citizens to use less electricity.

Russia's demand that the European Union settle natural gas prices in rubles seems to only increase the desire of European governments to give up natural gas supplies. The three Baltic countries have announced that they will stop buying Russian natural gas from April 1. At present, they are using natural gas reserves. Later, LNG either arrived at the Clapeda terminal in Lithuania or was interconnected with Poland. Lithuania also called on other EU countries to follow suit. Interestingly, the Baltic states do not seem to replace their dependence on natural gas with wind and solar energy.

At the beginning of the year, Ember, the EU's environmental think-tank, said in a report that renewable energy was occupying the market for natural gas energy. These moments and paradigms shift when governments and companies begin to take this more seriously. Renewable energy is available, they are cheaper, and they may become cheaper and more competitive. Renewable energy is now an opportunity, not a cost. "

So why are you struggling for natural gas now? Why not really speed up the construction of new wind and solar farms and show the world how reliable Europe's renewable energy is?

New energy, of course, has a series of thorny issues, including rising prices for copper, steel, polysilicon and almost all metals and minerals. In addition, it takes longer to build these facilities than to convert them into liquefied natural gas (if there is an import terminal) or coal.

In short, what EU countries are doing now is to rely on coal and natural gas from other regions to reduce the use of Russian coal and natural gas. What about decarbonization and renewable energy?

According to the EU renewable energy plan published by Germany's Le Monde, the EU will seek to replace Russia's annual natural gas consumption of 50 billion cubic meters with liquefied natural gas from other sources and pipeline natural gas from other sources to replace another 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas consumption. But this is only 60 billion cubic meters of Russia's 155 billion cubic meters of natural gas consumed by the European Union each year.

Thierry Breton, the EU's commissioner for industry and internal market, said more coal could be used to replace another 20 billion cubic meters of natural gas imported from Russia.

What a discrepancy between words and deeds in this series of actions of the European Union. Previously, Europe planned to close all coal-fired power plants by 2030 in order to meet the emissions reduction targets of the Paris Agreement. Similarly, Europe is betting on replacing natural gas with fuel to replace another 10 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas.

Overall, the European Commission seems to be planning to replace more than half of Russia's natural gas imports with other fossil fuels. By contrast, wind and solar energy are expected to contribute about 22.5 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas, of which 10 billion cubic meters come from wind energy and 12.5 billion cubic meters from solar energy. This is not enough for a region that aspires to be the most environmentally friendly region on earth in a short period of time.

So as the EU finds itself in trouble, the reality of energy supply and consumption is reshaping the EU's view of energy consumption. If its plan involves so much fossil fuel consumption, fossil fuels must be easier, faster and possibly cheaper than wind and solar energy. If so, why choose renewable energy?