From a current point of view, nuclear fusion, renewable energies and
the combustion of coal with separation of CO2 are the only acceptable solutions for long-term electricity production in Germany. This is what emerges from the study "Electricity supply 2020 - Perspectives and needs" recently published by the energy company (ETG
- Energietechnischen Gesellschaft).
The study analyzes in particular the alternatives allowing the
energy in the next 15 years: by 2020, obsolete power plants with a cumulative power of 40 gigawatts as well as nuclear power plants with a total power of 20 gigawatts will have to be replaced throughout Germany.
The study carried out by ETG uses three different calculation models to analyze how the different weighted use of renewable energies, fossil fuels and nuclear energy affects climate protection and investment needs
from here 2020.
The vision until 2020 does not, however, give a definitive perspective: the carriers of fossil energy, gas and oil, for example, will conform to all forecasts exhausted or not economically profitable in a few generations; they will therefore have to be replaced by other sources of energy.
Only coal would have a sufficiently long life, the availability of nuclear fuel uranium is also limited.
According to the study, therefore, only three primary energy sources for the future come into account: “From the current point of view, only an energy mix made up of the three pillars of renewable energies, coal. (with elimination of CO2) and nuclear fusion, is
possible for long-term electricity production ”.
The full study and a summary report are available at: http://www.vde.com.
contacts:
- Max Planck Institut fur Plasmaphysik (Garching), Tel: +49 89 3299 1288,
Fax: + 49 89 3299 2622, E-Mail: oeffentlichkeitsarbeit@ipp.mpg.de, Internet:
http://www.ipp.mpg.de/ippcms/de/presse/pi/03_05_pi.html
- VDE, Internet:
Sources: Depeche IDW, IPP Press Release, 22/03/2005
Editor: Nicolas Condette, nicolas.condette@diplomatie.gouv.fr