germany case study

• context: since 2001,


  the government have been planning to replace nuclear power with renewable energy
• following the 2011


  nuclear accidents in Japan, Germany is canceling nuclear reactions with all closed by 2022
• germanys aim is


  to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% in 2022
• by 2014 germany,


  produced 30% of electricity from renewables, encouraged by feed-in tariffs that pay renewable energy producers
• bavaria solar park aims to produce

  215 kWh of clean power over the next 20 years
• bavaria solar park aims to reduce

  carbon dioxide emissions by 100,000 tonnes in 30 years
• a disadvantage of the solar park is it takes up

  26 hectares of land however this could be used for growing crops (although you can grow crops alongside the solar park)
• wind farms: by 2014,


  8% of electricity was from offshore wind farms
• wind farms: there are plans


  to have wind production of 6500 MW by 2020
• new more efficent


  turbines has resulted in less opposition by people who recognise the advantages of wind over coal/nuclear.

  this change in attitude in places like Baden Wurttemberg has caused them to install more wind farms
• a disadvantage of wind farms is

  they impact bird migration and can injure birds.