Posted on 05/01/2019 2:49:51 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Germany, one of the world’s biggest consumers of coal, will shut down all 84 of its coal-fired power plants over the next 19 years to meet its international commitments in the fight against climate change, a government commission said Saturday.
The announcement marked a significant shift for Europe’s largest country — a nation that had long been a leader on cutting CO2 emissions before turning into a laggard in recent years and badly missing its reduction targets. Coal plants account for 40% of Germany’s electricity, itself a reduction from recent years when coal dominated power production.
“This is an historic accomplishment,” said Ronald Pofalla, chairman of the 28-member government commission, at a news conference in Berlin following a marathon 21-hour negotiating session that concluded at 6 a.m. Saturday. The breakthrough ended seven months of wrangling. “It was anything but a sure thing. But we did it,” Pofalla said. “There won’t be any more coal-burning plants in Germany by 2038.”
The plan includes some $45 billion in spending to mitigate the pain in coal regions. The commission’s recommendations are expected to be adopted by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government.
“It’s a big moment for climate policy in Germany that could make the country a leader once again in fighting climate change,” said Claudia Kemfert, professor for energy economics at the DIW Berlin, the German Institute for Economic Research. “It’s also an important signal for the world that Germany is again getting serious about climate change: a very big industrial nation that depends so much on coal is switching it off.”
The decision to quit coal follows an earlier bold energy policy move by the German government, which decided to shut down all of its nuclear power plants by 2022 in the wake of Japan’s Fukushima disaster in 2011.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Germany already has some of the highest costs for electricity in the world.
This is why we pulled out of the Paris accord. So we wouldnt end up subsidizing European alternative energy schemes.
What will happen is that the Russians will sell more natural gas to Germany.
Well, I, for one, am happy that an economic competitor has chosen to hamstring itself stupidly based on a myth.
German electrical capacity has increased incredibly since 2002. Why? The population is declining; they're becoming more efficient. The answer is that "capacity" as measured for wind and solar doesn't mean "production." In cold, northerly Germany, you can't often produce more than a small faction of your "capacity."
They thinking of relying more on Nord Stream 2? aka Molotov-Ribbentrop Part Deux.
Substituting natural gas plants for the coal plants would significantly “reduce” carbon dioxide output, per megawatt of electricity produced, but there is no substantiated evidence that reduction of anthropogenic production of carbon dioxide significantly alters in any way the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, or that carbon dioxide in any way alters overall climate, either warming or cooling.
The clever Germans could go whole hog and turn to Thorium-fueled Molten Salt atomic reactors, which are MUCH cleaner and vastly more reliable than depending on wind, solar, or tidewater generation systems. Hydroelectric is right up there with nuclear power in low cost per unit of electricity produced, but few potential sites remain to be developed.
Yes. Pure insanity.
They ignore reality at their own peril.
For absolutely no purpose. The Chinese are opening many more coal plants than the Germans are even thinking of closing.
It would be different if they were opening nuclear plants, but they are eschewing them, instead, relying on French nuclear power to supply their needs.
Hey, they buy shiploads of firewood from us to toss into the coal plants. Counts as renewables.
What could possibly go wrong?
19 years?
We only have 12, 10, 9, 8, 7,......
Make The Dark Ages Great Again!
Reports have been published alleging that Chinese coal seam fires produce as much CO2/yr as all the US cars/light duty vehicles burning the petro fuels.
Germany is going to enjoy the darkness.
No coal mining, reduce or replace a major source of electricity just when electric cars are coming on line in Germany and pay the coal area money to do nothing. What can go wrong with such a plane?
The Krauts must have plans to become expert unicorn ranchers as they will need huge herds of these majestic beasts to be able to extract enough of their magical farts in order to power their electrical needs once all the coal and nukes are shut down.
Is there a Mr. Fusion sized version of those yet that I can use to power the compound?
It could go 737 Max8 and crash?
Make AOC their next fuhrer and get it over with. Compulsory “renewable” energy and Jew hatred.
The Soylent Green New Deal
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