Less than a month after the failed Bonn UN climate confab, Germany has announced a most audacious energy policy: in order to shutter nuclear plants (but not completely scuttle their economy), the German government will direct climate fund cash to building coal and natural gas plants. You can’t make this stuff up.
Germany plans to dump nuclear power by 2022 but clearly needs to meet burgeoning electricity demand especially for a still powerful manufacturing economy dependent upon exports. Solar panels at their latitude and windmills are not going to suffice, so the solution is more coal. The environmental movement must be apoplectic with so many politically correct wires crossing at once.
With yesterday’s story of “wide blackouts” expected to affect Europe (during winter, no less) due to Germany’s anti-nuclear decision by Chancellor Merkel, Germany has decided not to freeze during the winter by relying on renewable energy resources:
The plan has come under stiff criticism, but the Ministry of Economics and Technology defended the idea. A spokeswoman said it was necessary as the government switches from nuclear to other renewable energy sources and added that the money would promote the most efficient plants possible.
Will Merkel cave or shovel climate fund cash into coal burners?
a black comedy
Almost artistic the way this policy mixes the irrational and the counter productive. Finally a rival fro the world’s stupidest energgy policy title so long held by the US.
Tom:
At July 13, 2011 at 4:09 pm you say:
“Reality… inconvenient – I’m waiting for some prominent gweenies to talk their way out of this one.”
Perhaps you missed the post by Chris T at July 13, 2011 at 3:27 pm.
Oh! Wait a moment. Ahhh, I see what you mean, but he did try.
Richard
Germany will also need to invest in pipelines to bring in gas from Russia under the Baltic Sea to establish a ‘reliable’ supply. The Russians will be overjoyed.
And their fear of nuclear power plants would be possible tsunamis?
At least they are admitting that wind and solar sucks in the dark.
They should not forget to weed their solar panels or are they actually biofuel growing trays?
Germany will also import a lot of nuclear energy from France…
Note to the GreenShirts: Be careful what you wish for.
No, actually, just run ahead trying to ban every form of energy and every member of the periodic table. Derision looks good on you; kinda complements your middle-class faux piety.
Giants of leadership are emerging in the tradition of Otto Ludwig Piffl, who answered the great political questions of his day by declaring, “The situation is hopeless, but not serious.”
Hoser,
Talking of politicians, you should look to ancient Athens and the modern politician Alcibiades http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcibiades. Some have suggested his Sicilian Policy was deliberately stupid, that he intended it to fail. I don’t know, but given the consequences ….
Unfortunately, politicians go hand in hand with democracies; actually with all human activity, political or democratic or not. We, the people, must not be deceived by promises of “Free Anything”.
The Germans will get their gas from the Russians who will ensnare them even more firmly by he short hairs. They will be another Russian satellite if they hock their energy future to the Russians–and that is what they are going to do if they end their nuclear energy program…
pk says:
July 13, 2011 at 1:58 pm
the costs of building autos mostly labor, tooling and engineering time. very little is energy costs.
It takes about as much energy to make a car as the car uses in a lifetime of driving. There is very little energy required in the assembly of cars, but that is only a very small part of the manufacturing process.
So, when you junk your old beater and buy a new car, you are using more energy than if you kept driving the old beater, once you factory in the life-cycle energy budget.
The frosting on this cake: Fischer–Tropsch.
John Leon says:
July 13, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Somehow with France not only the largest exporter of electricity in the world, 30% of the total generated is sold to other European countries,
Is it any wonder the EU is trying to get the UK to switch to windmills? France is using this to sell nuclear power into the EU, knowing full well that the UK will not be able to generate reliable power using the wind. It is a brilliant scheme the French are using to shaft their old enemies, the English once and truly. And the British government has fallen for it hook, line and sinker.
1DandyTroll says:
July 13, 2011 at 2:57 pm
You got that right DandyTroll !!!
So France will turn out to be the nuclear experts in Europe, he? So ironic! The british gave it up long ago, and now the Germans. Left standing is France! Well, good for you, France!
Maybe we, the Norwegians, who already export gas and oil to Europe, can start selling coal from Spitsbergen too? Ha, what luck for us! And the poor, poor hyphocrates in Germany,bying coal from the hyphocrates (spelling mistake here? I think so…) in Norway, oh, what an irony!
hahahaha!!!!
@1DandyTroll
…expensive making old reactors last longer than they were designed for…
Not true, at least in the US. The 40 year design life was chosen because nobody really knew what the long-term cumulative effect of neutron bombardment would be on the carbon steel reactor pressure vessel. It turns out the effect was way over-estimated. Lifespans can safely be extended to 60 years and even 80 years. This has been an economic boon to reactor owners in the US. It basically means 20 or 40 years of low cost power from a plant that was paid for over the 40 year life.
Now we clever Ausies intend to tax and tax coal mining until it becomes uneconomic and all the mines are closed.
There is a problem – we have no alternative souce of power for electricirty production.
But there is a solution – import German coal.
Problem solved.
See I told you that we are clever.
Now you believe.
There may be a silver lining here. The most devout Groonies (green loonies), who are the most troublesome, may suffer cranial explosion/brain eviseration from the irony of it and from the derisive laughter of the sane Germans, if such there be.
Ferd july 13 at 12:52 pm says ” It takes about as much energy to make a car as the car uses in a lifetime of driving. There is very little energy required in the assembly of cars, but that is only a very small part of the manufacturing process. So, when you junk your old beater and buy a new car, you are using more energy than if you kept driving the old beater, once you factory in the life-cycle energy budget.”
Ferd, I saw a post over on tips a few weeks ago noting a study putting some data behind lifecycle energy (CO2 budgets) on vehicles that you might find of interest- http://www.lowcvp.org.uk/
The Australian made note of the report here- http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/electric-cars-may-not-be-so-green-after-all-says-british-study/story-e6frg8y6-1226073103576 “ELECTRIC cars could produce higher emissions over their lifetimes than petrol equivalents because of the energy consumed in making their batteries, a study has found. “An electric car owner would have to drive at least 129,000km before producing a net saving in CO2. Many electric cars will not travel that far in their lifetime because they typically have a range of less than 145km on a single charge and are unsuitable for long trips. Even those driven 160,000km would save only about a tonne of CO2 over their lifetimes.”
Reminds me of all the ignoramuses shouting that Alberta can keep its dirty oil so they can get just as dirty oil from elsewhere.
Coal fusion!
Merkel is a genius!
First she cancels all the nuke power plants, and the greens rejoice.
Then she announces that it isn’t possible for wind and solar to keep the economy going, scares the sh*t our of the working class, small business, anyone who depends on a pay cheque.
So… they’ll have to ramp up coal instead.
What a finesse move! The greens just got caught in a pincer move. On one side of them stand the hordes of workers with families to feed screaming about their jobs. On the other side stands Merkel with a smirk on her face that says to the greens “you got what you wanted, no more nuclear. Coal fired plants are the price. you wanna change your minds? Pick one. Not picking one or the other isn’t an option. So STFU and pick one.”
When the dust finally settles, the greens will be marginalized and my money is on the nukes, because once you have to choose…that’s the only sensible choice.
Responding to the huge anti nuclear movement since the 80′s and to the Fukushima incident, Merkel has shut down eight plants shortly after the incident. The remaining seven plants will be shut down in 2022. (See comment Alex: July 13, 2011 at 3:35 pm)
I think that there exists an agreement between Merkel and Sarkozy. While German is reducing nuclear generation production, the French authorities are expanding the Nuclear programme: Sarkozy will invest one billion euro in nuclear energy. France is already the largest exporter of electricity in the world and it will enlarge it in the future.
Conclusion: The portion of nuclear power in Germany was and will be around 23%. The only difference is that it will not be produced in Germany but in France. In the meantime, coal and natural gas plants have to be built in Germany. A nice solution, isn’t it?
German nuclear plants have been operated without problem for many years so an accident in a geologically active region causes Germany, in a geologically quiet region, nuclear fears. One sometimes wonders at the educational levels of politicians.
Still reliance on coal can’t be all bad. It is reliable 24/7 and plentiful and plants need the CO2.
It would seem that this Merkel women is as cunning as an out house rat. She seems to have snookered the greens and then given them a wedgie. Well done girl.
The Germans, and the rest of the world, would benefit even more if they would throw at least some of that funding towards research and construction of walk-away-safe nuclear power technology, and maybe even to help refine Liquid-Fluoride Thorium Reactor technology.