Nature guide Michael Zobel (58) discusses the efficiency of brown coal mining during a guided tour to raise awareness for the current situation and the forest’s importance and vulnerability.
Nature guide Michael Zobel (58) discusses the efficiency of brown coal mining during a guided tour to raise awareness for the current situation and the forest’s importance and vulnerability.
“The Hambach forest really grew on me. And I’d wish to keep it that way.” - Michael Zobel (58), nature guide and environmentalist from Aachen.
When he first learned about the situation, the 58-year-old was shocked by how little he knew despite living less than 50 kilometers away. To close this knowledge gap for others, he started to offer free monthly tours to showcase and discuss the mining’s effects on the environment. “Of course we all need electricity. But the reason why all this is happening has something to do with us and how we deal with electricity and all that. The general efficiency of brown coal power plants lies at around 45%. But if one furthermore subtracts the amount of electricity that is needed to run the whole mine, only a mere quarter, 25%, is processed into energy to feed the grid.”