Germany is bringing back some of its coal power plants online ahead of the winter season amid concerns about a potential shortage of natural gas supplies. Germany has cracked down on its coal power plants as part of transitioning out from fossil fuel energy. However, as the Russia-Ukraine war dented gas supplies from Moscow and […]
Due to Russia’s war, Germany’s oil and gas supply is compromised. They’re spinning these coal plants up so people don’t freeze to death this winter.
OTOH, shutting down their nuclear plants is pants-on-head removed. Nuclear energy is green energy. The best in my opinion.
I’m familiar with the issue but OP seemed to be saying that it was a lie that the nuclear plants had been shut down. Since they haven’t replied I’m assuming they’re full of shit but I wanted to give them the chance to explain just in case I’m missing something.
I think Germany deserves harsh criticism for their consistent failure to develop fossil fuel alternatives. This has been brought up as an issue for many years prior to the conflict yet those warnings were all ignored. I don’t have much sympathy at this point but I do have anger for any country that is increasing its coal use at this point. Burning coal should be seen as a crime against humanity. Many people will suffer and die as a result of this decision. Far more in my opinion than the fuel shortage would. Germany would rather the world burn than their citizens be a little chilly.
Because it is. You are brainwashed by the nuclear lobby trying to tell the fairy tale of how every plan without nuclear will fail and the fossil fuel lobby telling the tale of how it’s hopeless and reducing coal isn’t working. And both just tell you the same lie about some magical increase in coal use in Germany that doesn’t exist.
The idea above is basically the epitome of cluelessness and just parroting narratives. Nobody is freezing in winter because there isn’t enough electricity. Because the amount of heating via electricty is low and nobody is heating with coal either. That what gas is mainly used for and why people are talking about gas storage… and no, that doesn’t have much to do with electricity either as gas use in electricity production is also low and only used as a peak burner to adapt to quick changes in demand.
It’s one big ball of lies while conflating primary energy, heating and electricity to disguise that the underlying facts are already false.
See the linked actual stats above.
Germany power production 1990-2020
“The amount of electricity generated from fossil and conventional energy sources decreased by 12.2% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period last year. The largest decrease, 22%, was measured for electricity generation from coal.”
2022 vs. first half fo 2023
So every one using the same public data is wrong but the BBC… Got it.
What I see here is that Germany is still burning fossile fuels to produce more than half its energy. And even more so during winter. Good job Germany. Do you want a medal?
How long has Germany been building renewables? For what result? It is pitiful a’d German ecologist should be ashamed of themselves.
Germany too the wrong fight. Nuclear is not the threat, fossile fuels are. But keep convincing yourself you did nothing wrong while the world is burning. Hopefully in 50 years you’ll stop burning fossile fuels.
if the reason to not build nuclear is political or economic, then I’m going to build nuclear
A lot of misleading words to try to escape the fact that coal and nuclear largely fill the same role in electrical grids. Every megawatt of nuclear power you turn off is a megawatt of coal you cannot without risking grid stability. That is the fundamental math here until you’ve eliminated coal from your power grid. Germany has failed to do so as a direct result of their policies around nuclear power, while numerous other electrical grids have successfully phased out or nearly phased out coal.
You mean other countries like the UK burning gas in a gas crisis and now opening new gas and oil drilling? Or countries like France who restarted their coal power plants about a year ago as a reserve should they not manage to bring all reactors back online in time. Or Ireland running on gas, coal and even oil? Or Poland (mostly coal)? Or Czechia with coal and nuclear but zero renewables because that doesn’t fit with the nuclear agenda? Or Slovakia (nuclear and imported coal power from Poland)?
Are these the numerous countries you are talking about? Countries btw that don’t actually have a grid… it’s all one grid. Guess who they all fall back to in emergencies? Yes, not France who can only export a steady amount of excess energy in warm months but the other big electricity exporter in Europe.
The only countries with an actual working plan are the lucky ones with massive hydro potential. All the others are failing. Those with a reneable plan because they are drowned in propaganda and those with a nuclear plan because they lie to themselves and don’t build even close to enough nuclear power to ever base their electricity production on it. But that’s okay. In 20, 30 or 50 years they can still all get their deficit covered by imports because nobody actually has a choice with a connected European grid or everything breaks. With some good lobbying they might even force Germany to still burn fossil fuels for them while pointing fingers.