Monday, May 30, 2011

Nuclear Power All over the Map


It's interesting to peruse the chart: Nuclear Power by Country. For example:

Belgium 52%; Brazil 3%; Canada 15%; China 3%; France 75%; Germany 26%; India 3%; Japan 29%; Russia 18%; Spain 18%; U.S. 20%; ...World 14%.

Germany announced that it is phasing out its nuclear production by 2022 and focusing on durable and sustainable renewable energy.

A spokesperson for Greenpeace International, told the BBC that Germany had already invested heavily in renewable energy.

"The various studies from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change show that renewables could deliver, basically, global electricity by 2050."

"Germany is going to be ahead of the game on that and it is going to make a lot of money, so the message to Germany's industrial competitors is that you can base your energy policy not on nuclear, not on coal, but on renewables."

Not everyone is happy with the decision. Many in Germany fear that more wind power in the north will destroy the character of the pristine countryside close to the Baltic and create large north south grids to address the loss of nuclear power in the south.

No doubt, the nuclear catastrophe in Japan has encouraged many countries to scrutinize their nuclear portfolios.

While some countries like Germany are reducing nuclear dependency, others like China, India, and South Korea are expanding.

Image: Nuclear Power in France