In 2010, the German government unveiled an ambitious plan to undertake a large-scale energy turn which has been popularly coined as an ‘Energiewende’, and reduce the nation’s greenhouse-gas emissions to 40%of 1990 levels by 2020. By mid-century they planned on cutting a further 40%, to total a 80% reduction. At the time, this was the greatest shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources to be attempted by such a highly industrial nation. Although this feat would certainly be challenging, Germany also generated approximately 20% of their electricity through nuclear power, which only produces greenhouse gases in very low volumes. The pre-existing infrastructure and prominence of nuclear power in Germany would somewhat ease the country’s progressive transition toward a more sustainable future.
The catch – in response to public concern following the tsunami nuclear disaster in Japan, Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, ordered the immediate closure of the nation’s eight oldest nuclear plants. Within months, the government had finalized plans to close the remaining nine by 2022. In spite of this set back, the Energiewende will proceed without Germany’s most significant source of low-carbon power.
In order to meet this challenge nationwide, Germany will have to unite in the spirit of innovation, and work to build and apply renewable technologies at a massive scale and at an unprecedented rate. While the cost of the Energiewende is uncertain as of yet, such a ground-breaking feat will only be possible at an enormous expense. Furthering the difficulty of this task is the reliance of German industry on reliable and reasonably-priced power which cannot be undercut while the nation strives for sustainability.
Germany’s energy industry leaders are already pursuing multiple strategies in the replacement of nuclear power. There are plans to install massive wind farms in the North Sea off the German coast, and to place new transmission infrastructure which would transport the power to the nation’s industrial regions. These companies are also searching for large-scale power storage that is relatively cheap to build and operate in order to continue to supply factories with energy despite any temporary environmental conditions which would limit the availability of wind or solar.
Although all are agreed that this endeavour will be quite costly, it has been estimated that Germany will spend between $125 and $250 billion on new infrastructure alone, depending on how quickly new technologies can be introduced and their prices lowered. An even greater long-term cost will be incurred by the expensive process of decommissioning nuclear power plants. These costs do not include those faced by ordinary citizens, who now pay a renewable energy surcharge of approximately 15 percent on their regular electric bills.
Perhaps the most ironic consequence of Germany’s decision to abstain from nuclear power is the country’s increased reliance on coal as a source of power while wind and solar sources are being developed. But in spite of this, Germany can benefit quite greatly from their progressive stance on sustainability. Any renewable energy technologies they create will find a ready market for export, supporting the nation’s $12 billion renewable energy industry. And if Germany succeeds transitioning to renewable energy they will have created a template for other industrialized nations to chart their own paths to sustainability.
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