The Energy and Climate Week Show: From Marchen and Legends, Liberal Owners and Nuclear Responsibility
There are a number of myths that hold pretty stuffy despite the possibilities for the quick declaration that offers the internet today. Sometimes might not despite, but because of the internet, because they are so attractive that people find themselves again and again, they just like to sit up and pay them up. And others because they are spread from interested side contrary to better knowledge.
The judgment of the reader is allowed to leave in which category the legend of the German CO2 emissions rising because of the nuclear phase-out. Last week I was asked on an anti-AKW forum in Hong Kong, if there was a voice what there are newspapers about Germany, namely that more coal will be burned. Gordon Edwards also from the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility had already given the same story in Canada and asked.
In the Great Britain, it is currently being used as an argument for the construction of new nuclear power plants. Funf celebrities commentators and journalists, some of which have made themselves as George Monbiot and Fred Pearce over the national borders a name as a planer and Mahner in terms of climate change, turn into an open letter to the British Premier David Cameron. In it, they ask him not to impress themselves through the joy of environmental protectioners and capture them to the AKW tarpaulin.
The British government wants to build eight new akws, some of which should take over the French EDF, which will be ordered by the Francoese Group AREVA so-called European Prerized Reactors. This little proven series has not yet been noticed by years of delays and exploding costs ("Runtime extension is a dead end"To). The authors of the letter to Cameron argue that without nuclear power plants no exit from coal power use is possible. As an example, Japan and Germany are caught: "… The truth is that both countries have strengthened the use of fossil fuels to cover the failure of the nuclear power plants, and accordingly, carbon emissions increase and will continue to do it."
In Japan, since 2009, the expansion of photovoltaics has attracted. The numbers of Japanese Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA) not considered here is another increase in the first three quarters of 2011. Source Jpea
For Japan likes the voices, because there is the development of renewable energy carriers still very far behind the possibilities. The last governments have recently played the former lead in terms of photovoltaics when they put on the atomic map. Only in the youngest time has the expansion of solar energy to travel (where is Japan).
But what about the situation in this country? What about the story? Let’s take a look at the annual report of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft energy balance. The following picture results: In 2011, the conversion of lignite has indeed increased by 4.9 percent. The reason for this can hardly have been the shutoff of eight reactors, two of which have no electricity delivered anyway for several years, but were still abundant. If you look more closely the production figures, it turns out that the gas, OL and hard coal power plants have also delivered less.
In detail, the comparison of production in 2010 and 2011: lignite +7.1 terawatt hours (TWH, a TWH corresponds to a billion kilowatt hours), hard coal -2.5 TWh, gas -2.8 TWh, OL -1.4 TWh. The bottom line is that Magere 0.4 TWh, less than a thousand of German electricity production, 2011 more from fossil sources came. The CO2 outstall will have risen a bit stronger because more lignite was used, but this is obviously due to the decisions of the power plant owners as the need for the partial nuclear phase-out.
As you can see, in Germany in the last 21 years, not only the use of AKWS, but also of coal-fired power plants were significantly reduced.
AKWS, on the other hand, delivered 32.6 TWh less electricity than a year ago. Nevertheless, Germany further remained a net exporter, namely, six TWh were delivered more abroad than from there. The reduced production was calculated above all by reducing exports by eleven TWh and by increasing production of renewable energy carriers by 19.2 TWh. The story of the coal-fired power plants that replace the AKWs is thus in the realm of the Marchen and Legends.
Solar boat
Some answers if the share of renewable will continue to grow further in the current year. On the one hand, wind turbines will probably be added again with a capacity of about two gigawatts (GW). In addition, around four GW of solar capities have only gone to the network in the Zurzucking winter months, so have hardly contributed to the considerable numbers of 2011. And finally, a lot indicates that Professional Minister Philipp Rosler has shot a veritable own goal with his failure against solar energy.
Dhik-General fuhrer Martin Wansleben expects that the solar boat continues this year and be installed eight GW. Last year, there were 7.5 GW for leading numbers, a year before 7.4 GW. In the first two months of 2012, a GW should already be added. Obviously, many potential asset owners still try in front of the drastic cuts (breather for E.on CO.) To bring your panels to the net. Already in the past few years, the scramble had always led to a new boost for the feed-in charging for a new boost for the installations.
Also worldwide, demand for solar systems is properly riding. 26 GW have been installed worldwide after a young study published in the US. One year earlier it had been 15.6 GW, an increase of 69 percent. Because of falling prices, however, the revenues grew only half as fast. Most manufacturers have had red numbers due to the sharp competition, which is a consequence of significant overcapacities, and some gave up petitions.
In 2012, it will probably continue in a similar tempo. Was still good in 2010 the half of the worldwide installations between the Rhine and or has occurred, so have now added some gross new market. Especially in China is launched. In 2011, two GW went to the net there, this year, there were already four to eight GW. New feed-in laws with guaranteed tempers make it possible.
Also in the US, the market will probably continue to tighten, and for Italy is still running Funf GW new installations to Nine GW in 2011.
Not quite as stormy, but still with records, it goes to wind energy. With 41.6 GW, a new record of new installations was achieved. 18 GW went to the net alone in China. The country of the middle was thus the number one in the third year in a row in terms of development of wind energy. Around ten GW was built in the EU, in the US seven and in India three GW.
AKW Brunsbuttel. Image: Dirk Ingo Franke / License: CC-BY-SA-2.0
Irresponsible
The nuclear industry meanwhile seems to be the world’s organized responsibility worldwide. In the Vattenfall-AKW Brunsbuttel, how reported (auspicious), has been found strongly anticipated fasses. Now it has come out that even in the AKW Krummel, also operated by Vattenfall, 1200 fasses with radioactive mull. And that for several decades under conditions that are probably not created for this period. Especially: The fasses were housed in a manner, partly in caverns under the AKW, which it does not allow their condition to be checked.
But it’s even worse. By chance, briefly known in Sudkorea, that in a reactor was cooled. A Member of the city council of Busan had two employees of the respective AKW in a canteen talking about a canteen. According to a report by the Korea Herald, one of the reactors of the power plant had been switched off to the inspection as the power supply was interrupted from the network. As a result, the emergency cooling had to start, because a reactor must also be cooled, even if the chain reaction is interrupted, since the radioactive cleavage products of the uranine in turn decompose and releasing significant amounts of warm.
However, a first emergency generator was functional. The employee who had accidentally interrupted the connection to the network had now had to turn on another generator, which he first was first. For 12 minutes, on the other hand, he tried to restore the connection to the network, while the reactor core began to heat up. Only then was the emergency cooling activated. Obviously someone has played Russian roulette and not even informed the nuclear supervision properly.