Germany To Switch From Nuclear To Other Energy Resources In Next Decade

Germany, the major European power, has on Monday announced its decision to use eco-friendly forms of energy to produce electricity. Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel has vowed to abandon Nuclear energy in her country. The dead line fixed for this goal is year 2022.

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The recent nuclear disaster after Earthquakes and Tsunami in Japan had triggered a debate over safety of Nuclear power plants. Many nations who were earlier on the side of nuclear power plants for clean energy generation are now having a rethink on this issue. According to the statement, Germany plans to shut down all its nuclear plants in next 11 years. The move would open up new markets for renewable energy resources. France, Poland and Czechoslovakia would be prime markets for Germany to buy raw materials.

Currently a quarter of Germany’s power comes from nuclear sources. A total shut down of these plants would mean that new power resources should be developed at the same speed. Many people are skeptical about use of renewable energy meeting high power demands however, it is not that difficult also. Environmentalists are no doubt happy even though the decision still requires parliamentary approval. Presently, Germany meets 7% of its total energy requirements from wind as a resource. The shift may require a temporary change to coal fired power station. Apart from Germany only Italy is another country which has completely phased out nuclear energy and shifted to other resources. Europeans have been complaining about their nuclear energy programs since the Chernobyl’s incident. Fukushima- Daiichi disaster has made that demand stronger.

European Union (EU) has decided to cut down carbon emission to a very critical level. France relies heavily on its nuclear facilities for power. According to an estimate, 80% of energy generation for France is supplied by nuclear energy sources. French Prime minister Francois Fillon feels that there is no way that the targets set by EU could be met without adoption of nuclear power plants.

Considering the heavy dependence on nuclear resources, it is definitely a difficult task for France but it is not easy for Germany either. Skeptics point out that such a transformation will only be possible only in 2036 but not before 2030. Angela Merkel’s decision may seem to be a political decision run by a coalition government, but if implemented really then it would be an ideal for other’s to switch from nuclear to other renewable sources.

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