I mean, basically every electrical device is more efficient now. Heat pumps use less energy to heat than electric coils, modern LED light bulbs use less than 20% of their incandescent counterparts, and fridges, dishwashers, and clothes washers are significantly more efficient. New homes are also better insulated, leading to less energy use.
There are more reasons for declining energy use than jumping to your conclusion of a failure to thrive.
Heatpumps don’t replace electric coils, they replace oil and gas heaters. Likewise electric cars and trains.
No doubt everything got more efficient. But stagnating or declining energy use, while cheap regenerative energy generation increased slowly but steadily, means there’s missed potential.
Off the top of my head I cannot come up with any energy hungry industry which increased production in Germany in recent years, while I could name a couple which moved abroad.
The graph doesn’t show electricity use, it shows electricity generation. Electricity generated elsewhere doesn’t show up in the graph.
Edit: BUT apparently Germany does indeed use less electricity than in the 90s. source. Not exactly the sign of a thriving nation.
I mean, basically every electrical device is more efficient now. Heat pumps use less energy to heat than electric coils, modern LED light bulbs use less than 20% of their incandescent counterparts, and fridges, dishwashers, and clothes washers are significantly more efficient. New homes are also better insulated, leading to less energy use.
There are more reasons for declining energy use than jumping to your conclusion of a failure to thrive.
Heatpumps don’t replace electric coils, they replace oil and gas heaters. Likewise electric cars and trains.
No doubt everything got more efficient. But stagnating or declining energy use, while cheap regenerative energy generation increased slowly but steadily, means there’s missed potential.
Off the top of my head I cannot come up with any energy hungry industry which increased production in Germany in recent years, while I could name a couple which moved abroad.