If you turned back on all the nuclear reactors, you could eliminate nearly all the need for gas electricity—and some coal too, which is quite polluting.
Conversely, if you closed the three nuclear reactors remaining and covered that through gas, you’d need to increase your gas burning for electricity by 30%, which could increase gas from Russia by an equivalent amount5.
Put in another way: turning all the German nuclear reactors back on could approximately stop gas imports from Russia. Shutting the remaining ones down could increase the dependency on Russian gas by about 30%.
Put in another way: turning all the German nuclear reactors back on could approximately stop gas imports from Russia. Shutting the remaining ones down could increase the dependency on Russian gas by about 30%.
That math is somewhat inaccurate. The Germans are heating and cooking with NG. Not to mention any industrial practices needed.
Given that the Greens are rising in power in Germany and recently became part of the ruling coalition, I think more nuclear will be a leap for Germany. Environmental, anti-war, anti-nuclear forces are powerful.
They have already subsidized solar farms. I think they are more likely to increase investment in wind farms. But it will take a while to implement. What will they do in the meantime? Maybe buy power from those not afraid to run their nuclear plants.
I think they are more likely to increase investment in wind farms.
Wind power is running into local opposition in Germany. They may be forced to expand off-shore.
From six months ago: www.world-energy.org/article/19838.html
Merkel admits her government got it wrong. Power demand will probably increase more than official forecasts by the end of the decade, she said in June. A month earlier she recognized that increasing local opposition and too much bureaucracy have curbed investments in green power.
For a long time, Germany showed the world how renewable energy could be added to make up a substantial share of the power mix. Now, the Norwegian utility Statkraft SF says it takes twice as long to build a wind park in Germany compared with the US. Complaints from locals, a lack of space, stricter environmental standards and a longer permitting process are just some of the reasons growth is slowing.
Given that the Greens are rising in power in Germany and recently became part of the ruling coalition, I think more nuclear will be a leap for Germany. Environmental, anti-war, anti-nuclear forces are powerful.
Greens are the ones making sure that Germany sends lots of the military aid to Ukraine.
Germany will not be able to get any electricity from France because France is currently in trouble with nuclear power generation with so many of their nuclear plants shutdown for corrosion in reactor piping systems.