No More Nukes?
Steven L. Taylor
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Monday, May 30, 2011
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9 comments
Not in Germany, anyway.
Via the AFP: Germany to scrap nuclear power by 2022.
This is in response to the disaster in Japan.
Of course, with growing concerns about the environmental impact of the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity, the abandonment of nuclear power begs the question of where the energy is going to come from.
Currently Germany gets 22% of its electricity from the plants that are now slated to be mothballed.
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored
A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
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Wind turbines. Yeah, that’s the ticket!
This is a big nail in the coffin of US nuclear power.
The only abundant source of energy indigenous to Germany is its massive repository of lignite coal, which is by far the ‘dirtiest’ type of coal. I understand they are starting to do more mining of the stuff. Perhaps the Germans are going to invest more in ‘clean coal’ technology to meet its future energy needs.
Wonder what happens to power when tornados hit windmills? I guess people like Reynolds have BS powered generators which should be able to power a small city at no cost. All you need is a picture of Palin placed infront of Mikey and the BS would fly, thereby supplying all the power needed.
Less nuclear plants in Europe means more dependence on Russian gas.
http://goo.gl/jWxtP
Wiley:
Actually, I support nuclear power.
That’s too bad the Germans could be helping lead the way into adoption of generation IV reactors so we can start burning the radioactive waste from all the old reactors currently still in use…
I don’t see it as a good thing to have Germany be more dependent on Russian gas.. Coal mining is a dirty environmental disaster of a job..
I’m no geologist, but I haven’t heard about Germany having issues with earthquakes. This sounds like a bit of unnecessary and self-defeating panic.
J.