How Germany Phased Out Nuclear Power, Only to Get Mugged by Reality

The New Republic ^ | October 31, 2011 | Aaron Wiener

[Oatka]

Be careful what you wish for - redux.

[bigbob]

Frau Merkel has made a politically-correct but incredibly stupid and short-sighted decision.

[SkyDancer]

European winters are long, cold and dark. Hope they have fun freezing in it reading by candlelight and eating eating out of cans. Not saying anything about bathing of course.

[throwback]

The only hope for the U.S.; hoping our competitors shoot themselves in the head before we do likewise. Now if somebody could just convince the Chinese of the hazards of coal and nuclear energy. Why did the West get only the stupid communists running things?

[Calvin Locke]

A few years ago, Europe had an extended drought that dropped the rivers enough to start them worrying about water for reactor cooling.

And, of course, putting warm water back into the lower and slower rivers.

[Lorianne]

Germany May Be Importing Nuclear Power to Meet Energy Needs
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,754957,00.html

But don’t worry, just like California who imports carbon based and nuclear energy, Germany is still ‘green’.

[ken5050]

Good article..just thought of a somewhat related question. What have European countries, like Germany and France, been doing with their spent fuel rods. Is there a central storage facility? In the US, we can’t get Yucca MT up and running...what are they doing in Europe?

[truthguy]

Frau Merkel has made a politically-correct but incredibly stupid and short-sighted decision.

Despite the brilliance of Germans in some areas (automobile production) they have a stupid streak in them a mile wide. I'm part German and know the people and the country well. The lunatic environmental movement has captured a good many people in Germany and it's now to the point that it's completely out of hand. The decisions made on Nuclear Power aren't just shortsighted and stupid but they border on the brink of madness. The Germans are gonna suffer and suffer big time. They are gonna pay for their stupidity in a way in manner that will shake the country down to its foundations.

This goes to show you the power that ideology has to "trump" intelligence. The Germans deserve whatever comes their way in realm of suffering. They must suffer and suffer greatly before they come to their senses. That part seems all to familiar to them. Sure glad my ancestors made the boat ride.

[Steely Tom]

Good article..just thought of a somewhat related question. What have European countries, like Germany and France, been doing with their spent fuel rods. Is there a central storage facility? In the US, we can’t get Yucca MT up and running...what are they doing in Europe?

Sending them to Iran?

joke

[Gritty]

A couple of years ago, we visited Germany for the first time after having lived there many years ago.

It was shocking. In our beautiful rural area the marvelous countryside was despoiled by these huge windmill generators both spinning and not spinning. They were huge, ugly as sin, and made the previously gorgeous countryside look like a version of propeller hell.

The Germans have gone environmentally crazy, despoiling their unsurpassed countryside with such a useless scheme.

[gogogodzilla]

France reprocesses their spent fuel. That way the expended fuel is recycled into new, fresh fuel. That is done in a breeder reactor, which our glorious President Carter banned us from doing, as breeder reactors and create the dreaded thing called ‘plutonium’.

EEK, plutonium!!!

[Oldexpat]

Central planning if bad, but central planning based of ferry tales and unicorn ranches is really bad. Fails every time it it tried.
Now they have a double whammy..pay for the PIIGS and imported power.

[El Cid]

Western Civilization has gone insane.
Socialism is a proven failure, yet they embrace it.
A godless society that worships nature over man.
Devoid of Christ, they create a vacuum that invites islamic and atheistic growth.

At least America seems to be a decade behind Europe in their lemming like march off the cliff -- but we seem to have the same forces driving our regression.

[Fractal Trader]

ping

[Clay Moore]

First order of business should be to jerk the electric meters from the morons who advocate this and forbid them from ever being in possession of electricity again.

[central_va]

Green is the new Red.

[musicman]

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[steelyourfaith]

Thanx for the ping Fractal Trader !

 

Beam me to Planet Gore !

[chimera]

What have European countries, like Germany and France, been doing with their spent fuel rods.

Check out the La Hague reprocessing plant in France. That's the way to go. We developed this technology and the wackos have driven it from these shores. A terribly ironic and tragic turn.