not to forget that we have a lot of industry in the south but the wealthy southern NIMBYs fought against renewables and transmission lines, so the renewable energy in the north was virtually sold to the south but couldnt get there so they had to run the fossil plants there. This "system service" was then paid for by the people in the north. So instead of using clean energy cheaply the people had to pay extra for shutting down plants in the north and run dirty ones in the south.

Of course creating two market zones as called for by experts was fought teeth and nails by the southern states. German federalism with the superiority complex and robbery attitude from Bavaria and Baden-Wurttenberg is a bane on the countries development.