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I thought it was because Germany shut down its nuclear power plants and ramped its coal generation up? [1] Germany poorly managing its power grid doesn’t imply that renewables aren’t economically rational; it implies Germany makes irrational national policy. France is primarily nuclear powered, as you point out with their low CO2 emission footprint (compare the generation mixes of both countries in ElectricityMap, I’m familiar having contributed generation data for Europe).

Solar panels retain 90% of their production rating after 25 years, and can be recycled at end of life, as can wind turbine blades (with the turbines repowered, typically generating more power than the previous equipment).

What’s with the FUD? Definitely feels like there’s an agenda when the data is objectively clear.

[1] https://www.wired.com/story/germany-rejected-nuclear-power-a...



Germany's fossil fuel use for grid generation was steady after Fukushima. Coal use declined. After 2017, coal use fell off a cliff (as CO2 allowances became more expensive in Europe.)


Wind turbine blade recycling is hard. I wouldn’t call it a proven technology. For example, all recycling options discussed in https://designedconscious.com/plastics-in-the-ocean/sustaina... are into inferior products (shorter glass fibers, ash, etc)


I think this notion of recycling turbine blades is a bit of a fetish. Why do they have to be recycled?


How I look at it, had they spent the same amount of money in a different way, they could be carbon neutral. Climate change is an emergency but no one is acting like it.

It's one thing to say "we don't think it's worth the money" and another to spend the money but not achieve much, it's even worse IMO!


> Climate change is an emergency but no one is acting like it.

Yes, it sometimes makes me wonder what the real agenda is.




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