It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of Hermann Scheer, a man who will always be remembered for his incredible vision — and effectiveness — with respect to the deployment of renewables. Through his tireless work over 30 years in the German Parliament, his country soared to a position of unrivaled leadership in replacing fossil fuels and nuclear with solar, wind, biomass and hydro. Germany deployed more solar power last year than the rest of the world combined.
In my mind, Scheer was best known for his position on energy policy, namely that the biggest single mistake we’re making as a civilization is asking the energy industry to perform objective studies of fossil fuel supplies and dangers. They are the only group on Earth, he notes, that stands to win by delaying the migration to renewables.
But he paved the way for a solution — and, to a large degree created one, at least in his homeland. In particular, he pointed out that the oil companies’ power lies in their ability to control Congress with their enormous contributions, buying whatever influence they need to continue to dominate the energy industry. Scheer noted that although this is a sad truth, it’s not a death sentence for renewable energy. The will of the people is still paramount, as our senators and representatives still require the support of the electorate – and if that electorate is sufficiently well informed, Big Oil will ultimately be unable to control Congress and manipulate the world in their favor. Thus, we have the imperative to get out there and tell the story.
Scheer also observed that the US, the world’s largest political and military power, needs to approach the king of Saudi Arabia “from the position of a beggar,” and that this defies all rationality. We move through the decades, completely beholden to regimes of dubious values and intent, spending fortunes to prosecute wars to protect the supply of oil in the Middle East, and this makes so sense intellectually or morally.
Speaking on the imperative and defining the path forward, here’s one of the last interviews Hermann Scheer gave – just a few weeks ago. Thanks for the ideas, Mr. Scheer, and for the courage you displayed in putting them into action. You’ll be sorely missed, but I hope you left this world confident in our ability to pick up where you left off.
** Craig Shields boasts a 30-year career in business and marketing consulting for clients that include IBM, Hewlett-Packard, ABB, National Semiconductor, Agfa, Oracle, Litton, Sony, Microsoft, 3M, Philips Electronics, and FedEx, as well as hundreds of smaller enterprises and venture-capitalized start-ups. Combining his advocacy for clean technology, Craig now functions as editor of 2GreenEnergy.com, where he and his team provide information, services, and investment capital to companies in renewable energy and electric transportation. His book, Renewable Energy: Facts and Fantasies, was published in 2010. Craig holds a Bachelor's degree in physics and a Master's degree in philosophy.
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