On an annual basis, the roughly 8.1 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear capacity closed this year has been more than offset by increases in generation capacity from solar and wind sites, data from think tank Ember shows.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
German officials opted to shut the country’s last remaining reactors in April, as although they generated steady volumes of power with little to no emissions, authorities preferred to expand supplies of renewable energy rather than make additional investments in the nuclear fleet.
However, with generation from solar - Germany’s second largest source of clean electricity behind wind - set to plunge this winter due to reduced daylight, Germany’s total clean power generation looks set to decline just as energy consumption levels rise from higher demand for heating.
Over the first nine months of 2023, German output of clean and fossil-powered electricity dropped from the same period in 2022, mainly due to stunted power demand from industry.
German output of chemicals and fertilizers - previously manufactured using abundant and cheap natural gas - have slumped to their lowest totals in over a decade in 2023 as producers throttled back production, data compiled by LSEG shows.
Production of cars, steel, batteries and turbines have also been pared back, resulting in an expected rare contraction in Europe’s largest economy this year.
However, total German solar electricity generation historically declines by over 80% from September to December, due to sharply reduced daylight hours.
The original article contains 640 words, the summary contains 199 words. Saved 69%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
Another circlejerk article for Europe with a hypothetical scenario as an opinion piece just to get people angry. Seems weird that something like this is coming from Reuters - I thought they did mostly matter of fact reporting for things that happened and not stuff like this
It’s an article with listed facts, graphs, and data you fucking dullard, just read the damn article.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.
no u
It says “Commentary” right on top. That means it is a comment and not an analysis. So maybe just read the damn commentary, before starting to insult people.
Wtf difference does thst make?! Do you think the facts and sources are nullified since it’s labeled a commentary?
The facts are basicly everything that happend in the past, as that can be measured. Everything about the future is just a comment from the author. It is not a study or a model, but just a comment from some reporter at Reuters.
So if you actually care for the facts, it is that since Germany stopped its nuclear power plants Germany is producing less fossil fuel electricity. That graph comes straight from the Reuters piece. The question is if it continues that way and that is still open.
And the Reuters article says it most likely won’t and will be substituted with fossil fuel! And by going by that argumentation, I’m surprised you’re not suggesting climate change is just speculation since it’s all based on models and predictions
Again, can you read?
It is not a study or a model, but just a comment from some reporter at Reuters.
Of course it fucking will and us Swedes ends up short-ended to pick up the slack of a nation making uneducated child-like decisions that we didn’t even get to vote on or even have as much as a say in!
It’s Nordstream all over again, thank you very fucking much!
Thankfully, Finland recently completed a new nuclear power station that will help us both this coming winter.
You mean besides:
- German fossil fuel electricity production is down a lot compared to the same period last year
- Germany exported a lot of electricity to France last winter, which will likely not be the case this winter
- German electricity consumption is down a lot
All of that perfectly well explained in the commentary even with lovely graphs, but well lets first hate on Germany and ignore the facts. Makes life so much easier right?
The article (as stated in the fucking title) is about how Germany will most likely need to substitute their energy grid with imports and coal power…
No not really lol. They speculate that maybe they may need to burn more coal this winter.
While being very clear about how speculative the whole commentary is, as it largely depends on how much wind and solar will offset.
Of course, it’s speculation, we cannot tell the future. But looking at the graphs provided, Germany has steadily generated leas and less power in 2023. What kind of miracle are you hoping for this winter? 100 % sun hours with steady winds?!
Winds will pick up in winter and sun will go down. We’ll see i guess. Don’t know why everyone in this thread is so fucking angry
Because it affects many of us on such a personal level. Middle-class households in Sweden are struggling financially, much because of the energy prices.
The environmental changes caused by burning fossile fuel are being felt, now more than ever before.
And it fucking stings the eyes when you hear uneducated fools talk about how bad nuclear power is when it really would help us eleviate both these issues.
The problem isn’t that we shutdown our nuclear power, the problem is that despite the government knowing it for decades, they didnt plan for a proper, renewable substitute. The current government has to pick up the slack from the Merkel government (and as a thank you declines in polls).
Sadly, nuclear power isnt something you can just switch on or off.
Nah you just all fell for the same altright idiots like us germans. You wont struggle. And even then, why are you blaming germany and not your own fucking politicians. Grow up.
Ig you haven’t read up on some “long term storage” facilities already leaking and failing after mere decades due to cut corners?
https://ecology.wa.gov/Waste-Toxics/Nuclear-waste/Hanford-cleanup/Leaking-tanks
Also nuclear is not something we (germany) could just get back on short term.
Nuclear isnt at all the silver bullet yall make it out to be
Oh great. If we now also replicate all the Nazi cesspool comments then we feel just like /r/europe.
However, with generation from solar - Germany’s second largest source of clean electricity behind wind - set to plunge this winter due to reduced daylight, Germany’s total clean power generation looks set to decline just as energy consumption levels rise from higher demand for heating.
There’s a big push in Germany to install heat pumps. If people doing that are getting dual air conditioner/heater systems installed, it may be that it’ll increase summer demand for electricity, and that’ll mitigate some of that.
As things stand, Europe’s peak electricity demand is during winter, due to electricity-powered heating.
In the US, peak electricity demand is during summer, due to air conditioning.
What you’d ideally like is, if your generation is non-dispatchable, for demand to more-or-less track when power is available. In general, solar is going to tend to be generating at the right times if your peak load is from air conditioning, and the wrong times if your peak load is from heating.
European adoption of air conditioning is increasing.
In Italy, sales of air conditioning units grew from 865,000 a year in 2012 to 1.92 million in 2022, according to the industry association Assoclima. These were mostly for business and not residential use, with growth reported in the first quarter of this year.
Most are split heat air pump systems, that can heat spaces in the winter, which Assoclima says can reduce gas consumption as prices spike during the war in Ukraine. That dual-use attracts consumers.
What I don’t know is what the total impact will be.
In the US, peak electricity demand is during summer, due to air conditioning.
What you’d ideally like is, if your generation is non-dispatchable, for demand to more-or-less track when power is available. In general, solar is going to tend to be generating at the right times if your peak load is from air conditioning, and the wrong times if your peak load is from heating.
Lol… So your bright solution to demand peaks in winter is becoming so wasteful that you manage to need even more in summer?
We’re headed for a warmer climate in Europe, that’s for sure. So time will help us
We are headed for a more extreme climate thats on average a few degrees warmer. While the heating period may get shorter, the peak load due to heating in extreme winters will increase. Thats the exact opposite of what you want in an all renewable grid.
Not really sure. Depends on if/when the gulf stream collapses.
