Germany’s Energy Revolution: The New Age Of Coal

Germany has put the shutdown of all its nuclear reactors on the fast track since the Fukushima accident. Finally, Germany’s Renewable Energy Revolution to rescue the planet from nuclear power and climate-killing CO2 emissions appears set begin in earnest, at least that’s what the climate rescue heroes would like to believe.

Unfortunately for the renewable energy cheerleaders, and the enemies of fossil fuels, things are in reality developing quite differently globally and even in Germany. For example, China is putting one brand new coal power plant online every week, and will do so for the next 40 years. Now, suddenly, Germany looks poised to crank up its coal power capacity too. Edgar L. Gärtner at eigentumlich frei has a commentary called: Energy Revolution” – The New Age of Coal“. The climate fantasy rescuers aren’t going to like it.

Since Germany has taken 8 of its nuclear reactors out of operation since April, 2011, its energy supply now stands vulnerable. To keep the lights from going out, which is a real prospect should a very cold winter day befall Germany, old coal plants are now being brought back to operationability in order to serve as “cold reserve capacity”. Gärtner writes:

This confirms what independent specialists have been predicting since the ‘energy revolution’ was announced by Chancellor Angela Merkel: Instead of the rise of the promised “Age of Renewable Energies“, the nuclear phaseout will lead to a Renaissance of coal and (to a small extent) natural gas.”

Indeed, even ultra-green Germany is going back to coal. And Gärtner adds:

There are lots of signs indicating the age of coal as a resource for electrical power generation is actually just getting started.”

And anyone who doesn’t believe this is probably listening to too much German public media news, or is in chronic denial. Gärtner explains:

According to the most recent Statistical Review of World Energy of oil company BP, one of the most reliable sources of energy market data, coal consumption has increased by almost 50% over the last 10 years alone.”

And during those same 10 years, global temperatures have plateaued, or even fallen slightly, depending which data-set you’re looking at. Gärtner continues (emphasis added):

Such a rash increase has never been seen before. China and India alone account for 90 percent of this increase. Coal’s share of global energy generation has almost reached 30% and is now as now at 1970 levels. At 48.2% almost half of the world’s coal consumption is by China. Plans by China’s leadership provides for a coal power expansion of 600 gigawatts by the year 2035. Also in western countries coal consumption increased in the year 2010 by 5.2%, the most since 1979.

So why is coal burning gaining so fast? The answer is economics and science.

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