Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
As has been the case in most industrialized nations, forces in support of
wind power development began to amass during the two energy crises of
the 1970s. As the government began to evaluate its alternative energy tech-
nology options, nuclear power and wind power emerged as the two most
viable utility-scale options.
In the 1970s, nuclear power in Germany enjoyed a modicum of devel-
opmental success. he nation's irst commercial nuclear power plant
commenced operation in 1969. By 2010, nuclear power contributed approx-
imately 22% to Germany's electricity supply. However, nuclear power devel-
opment has been contentious. Although there has been industrial support,
there has also been strident public opposition, especially since Chernobyl. In
the face of growing opposition, a plan to facilitate the phase-out of nuclear
power has existed since the days of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (1998-
2005). However, the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011 catalyzed
a drive to expedite plant closures. After the Fukushima disaster, German
Chancellor Angela Merkel announced an intention to immediately close
eight older reactors and phase out the remaining nine reactors by 2022. As
one group of researchers concluded, “the need to get out of nuclear power
seems to be overriding all other concerns.”
5
In 2012, the German government announced a bold plan to produce 80%
of electricity through renewable sources by 2050. Central to this strategy is
signiicant expansion of wind power capacity, particularly ofshore. Yet as
this chapter will document, wind power capacity expansion faces challenges.
5.2 AN OVERVIEW OF ELECTRICITY GENERATION IN GERMANY
Amidst the global imperative to reduce GHG emissions, Germany has
established itself as a nation with a comparatively laudable track record
of progressive decarbonization of its energy systems. For starters, energy
eiciency and energy conservation programs in Germany have been rela-
tively successful in reining in energy demand. As Table 5.1 illustrates
(see next page), between 2001 and 2011, total primary energy consumption
in Germany actually declined by 10%. By comparison, global total primary
energy consumption
increased
by 24% during the same period.
Data in Figure 5.1 shows that Germany's energy related CO
2
emis-
sions have also declined substantially since 1990 (the base year for Kyoto
Protocol commitment targets). Since 1990, energy-related CO
2
emissions
in Germany have declined by 21%, whereas globally, CO
2
emissions from
energy actually
increased
by 38% over the same time period.
