Germany And Nuclear Energy

Germany is wrong about nuclear power volkswagen s boss is right to criticize his country s decision to privilege coal over atomic power.

Germany and nuclear energy.

The german economy is large and developed ranking fourth in the world by gdp germany is sixth in global energy consumption between 2004 and 2007. As of 2017 the share of nuclear power in the electricity sector in the country is decreasing following the decision of a complete nuclear phase out by the next decade. German nuclear power began with research reactors in the 1950s and 1960s with the first commercial plant coming online in 1969. Germany was europe s largest consumer of electricity in 2002.

Alternatively germany could abandon its phase out of nuclear energy something the consultancy like many others in the country does not mention. However the ongoing expansion of renewable energy and the phase out of nuclear energy for power generation will change the composition of the electricity mix. Energy in germany is sourced predominantly by fossil fuels followed by wind nuclear power solar biomass wood and biofuels and hydro. By 2020 it is planned that wind and solar renewables should contribute 20.

Germany wants to curb greenhouse gas emissions but at the same time will shut down all of its nuclear power stations which in the year 2000 had a 29 5 per cent share of the power generation mix. Germany is unlikely to reverse course but the study s conclusions provide an important lesson for the united states where the future of nuclear energy is increasingly uncertain. German scientists are now hunting for somewhere to bury almost 2 000 containers of high level radioactive waste for the next million years. At present conventional energy sources including nuclear generate approximately 60 of germany s electricity.

Check out my website or. As germany s attitude to nuclear energy became ambivalent policies were adopted to promote renewable sources notably solar and wind though germany is not well placed geographically in relation to either. Electricity consumption that year totaled 512 9. Germany s electricity supply is undergoing radical change.

Such policies are primarily to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Germany is first major economy to phase out coal and nuclear germany lawmakers have passed new legislation finalizing the country s long awaited phase out of coal over objections from. Nuclear power in germany accounted for 11 63 of electricity supply in 2017 compared to 22 4 in 2010.