Germany: Nuclear Switch-Off Spurns Green Explosion

Nuclear Power Plants: A Dying Breed?

The radiation tormenting Fukushima struck a chord in Germany; amidst widespread protesting the government shut down the seven oldest nuclear reactors in Germany to placate the public.  While the general population was captivated by the celebrations of the protesters, apprehension filled the halls of government, and a window of opportunity was presented to green energy firms.  Nuclear power plants are an essential player in producing German electricity.  Unless the German’s would favor being dependent on Russian oil pipelines the only viable path left to them is a rapid adoption of green energy.

Germany needs a silver-bullet solution to answer the energy vacuum left behind by the absentee nuclear plants and the declarations that the ten remaining nuclear reactors would be shut down ahead of schedule.  It’s solution is as ambitious as it is green. By 2030 Germany plans to take a third of its power from green sources.  By 2050 Germany plans be on eighty percent green power the 205o.  the government will spearhead incentives in every field: biogas, biomass, solar, wind, and hydro.  In addition, the country is abandoning the production of new nuclear plants and is pledging to decommission those that remain in operation ahead of schedule.

This is nothing short of a dangerous gamble.  Germany will become the flagship for alternative energy production of the world, if they succeed.  If they fail, the rest of Europe will  have to sell power to the Germans to keep the country lit up.  The German people are coming to a hard ceiling; either they break through and prosper or they fail tragically and suffer a decline with cumbersome and unreliable energy fees.  When it comes to heating homes and power industry their is only a small margin of error for Germany.

It will be interesting to see what Germany will look like in thirty years: will it be a green paradise or a darkening backwater?

Renegade Radiation: Fukushima Contamination Escapes Exclusion Zone, Town Evacuated

Two months after a tsunami devastated Japan cancerous levels of nuclear radiation have been discovered in a Japanese town forty kilometers from the leaking Fukushima Reactors, twenty kilometers outside the state declared exclusion zone.  These high radiation levels were discovered by International Atomic Energy Agency officials, who suspected that undiscovered pockets of radiation had been missed or ignored by Japanese officials. Residents were evacuated from the village, while more extreme actions by the government are being planned once specific levels of radiation are determined.

How Dangerous Are the Radiation Levels?

The radiation spikes in the village raised immediate concerns because while they would not instantly kill or main anyone.  Only prolonged exposure would result in cancer.  Residents were notified and promptly evacuated from the town.  Iodine tablets had been distributed by the  Japanese government to the entire region after the disaster, the tablets counteract radiation poisoning which is emitted during nuclear meltdowns.  These tablets may have protected many residence from cancer, giving them enough time to escape the toxic town.

How Has This Outbreak of News Affected the Region?

Officials are considering to recall civilians allowed to return to their homes in the exclusion zone; these short visits were designated exclusively to pick up irreplaceable items like medicine or family artifacts.  Many refugees have expressed fear and outrage at this latest development, blaming their ineffective Prime Minister Naoto Kan for not protecting his citizens.  This anger flared earlier in the week as unprecedented radiation levels, “550,000 bacquerels per square meter”, or enough to irradiate the area for over thirty years were discovered in the shadow of the Fukushima Reactors.  The Japanese people believe their leader should have directly taken control of Tokyo Electric Company, who operates the reactors, and dictated a resolution rather than indirectly asking for one by the sluggish company.

How Had Work on the Reactors Progressed In Light of These Recent Setbacks?

Activity at the damaged Fukushima reactor continue without hesitation; while complete nuclear meltdown has been adverted a long perilous road until the situation can declared safe.  They know they have a long way to go, these recent events are obstacles that will be overcome in due time.  Relentless struggles by the Faceless Fifty, heroic technicians and engineers who remained at the reactor despite the near certain risk of cancer, have adverted disaster and prevented the reactors from melting down have taken account of these recent activities, delegating the responsibly to the government.  Their work in the reactor takes a higher priority, such as high priority that all have placed their country above their own lives; within the next time years all are expected to die from cancer.

(Irrationally) Protesting Nuclear Power: 100,000 Demonstrators Against Nuclear Reactors in Germany

The international consequences of the Nuclear Powder Keg that threatens Japan have spanned the globe, protests have cropped up around the world as all governments scrutinize their own nuclear reactors.  Many of these demonstrations numbered in the tens of thousands as petulant environmentalists and myopic citizens called for a swift end to the nuclear power, ignoring that without nuclear power the world would grow dark.

Where are the Protests?

Berlin, Germany and Stuttgart, Germany have the largest demonstrations with 100,000 protesters.

Germany has the second largest concentrations of nuclear power plants in Europe with 17 aging reactors.  Today, protesters at Stuttgart formed a 45 kilometer chain to call attention to failings at Germany’s oldest reactors. Craving to demonstrators demands demands the German government has ordered the nuclear power company Merkel to shut down 7 of the oldest reactors for the next three months.  Many celebrate this landmark decision, however skeptics are wondering where supplement power will come from.  By closing those seven plants over three percent of German power will need to be bought from surrounding countries or made in wasteful auxiliary generators.

Meanwhile major protests rocked France, a country that runs on over 80% nuclear power.  French officials remain unrelenting defenders of French nuclear power, with an impeccable record of  having no major or minor meltdowns.  In addition they are joining all European Union nations is stress testing their nuclear reactors.

American anti-nuclear protests were centered in California, where protesters fear radiation from Japan infecting American shores and the potential of meltdowns at California’s two aging reactors.  Activists call for a swift and immediate closer of the power plants, favoring environmentally friendly wind and solar power sources.  Obama has announced his protection of nuclear power in the United States, stating that America’s reactors are safe from all common natural disasters.  Demonstrators ignored his statements and continue to protest in California and in every major city in the United States.

What will This Mean For Nuclear Power?

The nuclear industry has not been negatively impacted by the Japanese disaster.

Construction of new nuclear reactors has continued despite the wave of protesters calling for reevaluation of power options.  Canada has decided to continue with a nuclear reactor in Vancouver.  Russia and Belarus have just announced signing a nine billion dollar deal that will lead to construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus, adding their first nuclear reactor to supplement traditional sources.  It is collectively agreed that the Japanese Nuclear Powder Keg is a perfect example the danger of nuclear powers; in addition many claim that since there has not been a full meltdown that humanity is successfully defeated the worst nature can dish out.

Besides, the tsunamis of this magnitude occurs only once every thousand years.

Is Nuclear Power Good or Bad (or Necessary)?

Fossil fuels are running dry while wind, solar, and hydrogen cannot support the demand; Nuclear power is necessary for the modern world. 14% of all power produced in the world is produced by nuclear reactors.  In addition, the most dangerous sources of power continue to be coal and oil; hundreds of workers die each year in explosions and collapses.  There has only been one major nuclear disaster in history, Chernobyl, a disaster that could have been easily prevented or mitigated.  The only problem in this tragic disaster was human failings.

In order to progress into the future humanity will need nuclear power, there are no reliable, efficient, or healthy alternatives.  The nuclear Renaissance will soldier on throughout the world, simply because there is no other choice.  This means the nuclear industry will continue to flourish, leading to a more prosperous international economy with reduced energy dependence.