It's not as if they're turning them all off tomorrow - they have at least 10 years to figure stuff out. That could be a pretty long time for one of the most technologically advanced and economically potent nations on the planet...or maybe not.
Well I hope it works out better than catalytic converters that the Germans had the EU impose on us, killing off the much cleaner (and platinum-free) true lean-burn engines that would have been a much better bet.
It's going to be interesting to see how they are going to replace the 23% of their generating capacity - plus power all those electric cars that are being touted so hard.
It's not as if they're turning them all off tomorrow - they have at least 10 years to figure stuff out. That could be a pretty long time for one of the most technologically advanced and economically potent nations on the planet...or maybe not.
one factor in the groundswell in favor of renewables here is a feeling of optimism that German engineering will rise to the challenge and find new technologies / refine existing ones to a point where they can compete against fossil fuels / nuclear. One of my mates is R&D director of a specialist engineering company here and he thinks it can be done so it's not just utopian greenies who are on the bandwagon.
This might explain why there is less resistance from big industry here than one would normally expect
I am so happy about this.
Well, they have been known to fail before
But, you're right, good luck to them. It would be great if they succeeded.
In the simplest terms possible: If we haven't figured out a safe way to work with and dispose of waste from nuclear power plants, we aren't ready to use them. Of course we are capable of achieving most anything.
one factor in the groundswell in favor of renewables here is a feeling of optimism that German engineering will rise to the challenge and find new technologies / refine existing ones to a point where they can compete against fossil fuels / nuclear. One of my mates is R&D director of a specialist engineering company here and he thinks it can be done so it's not just utopian greenies who are on the bandwagon.
This might explain why there is less resistance from big industry here than one would normally expect
Gee- The german government bonkers? Whoulda ever thunk it?
beamends wrote:
I shouldn't think so. The Germans (as in general public) seem to genuinely not want nuclear, they have had strong Green politicians for years. I wasn't being ironic, I'm genuinely interested in how they propose to do it. I was, however, being ironic about the electric cars as the very same people who are against nuclear (and coal, and oil, and gas) power are often the very same who want electric cars - they just seen to think electric cars run on magic moonbeams rather than the output of power stations.
one factor in the groundswell in favor of renewables here is a feeling of optimism that German engineering will rise to the challenge and find new technologies / refine existing ones to a point where they can compete against fossil fuels / nuclear. One of my mates is R&D director of a specialist engineering company here and he thinks it can be done so it's not just utopian greenies who are on the bandwagon.
This might explain why there is less resistance from big industry here than one would normally expect.
Exactly. Silly kniggits. Perhaps the German people will throw the clowns out of office once they figure out they've elected dunces.
Now about those threats to big coal in the U.S. of A....
I shouldn't think so. The Germans (as in general public) seem to genuinely not want nuclear, they have had strong Green politicians for years. I wasn't being ironic, I'm genuinely interested in how they propose to do it. I was, however, being ironic about the electric cars as the very same people who are against nuclear (and coal, and oil, and gas) power are often the very same who want electric cars - they just seen to think electric cars run on magic moonbeams rather than the output of power stations.
My observation- this move by the German government is bonkers.
It's going to be interesting to see how they are going to replace the 23% of their generating capacity - plus power all those electric cars that are being touted so hard.
Don't know if anybody else has been following it but there has been a series of excellent articles on this issue in the Guardian (both for and against). The comments are also worth reading (if you have time!!).
(Reasonably assured and inferred resources recoverable at up to $80/kg Th)
Country
Tonnes
% of total
Australia
489,000
19
USA
400,000
15
Turkey
344,000
13
India
319,000
12
Venezuela
300,000
12
Brazil
302,000
12
Norway
132,000
5
Egypt
100,000
4
Russia
75,000
3
Greenland
54,000
2
Canada
44,000
2
South Africa
18,000
1
Other countries
33,000
1
World total
2,610,000
Great, here come the Canadians.... And heavy water breeder reactors using thorium are a fantastic energy source. Politics is the only reason we don't have them running everywhere.
Thorium makes perfect sense....therefore it won't happen....
