A TOO NUCLEAR UK TURNS FROM SUN

Solar developers warn about Britain’s over dependence on atomic reactors
29 March 2011 (World of Renewables)

"More than 200,000 people demonstrated to end Germany’s dependence on nuclear power…But in Britain plans for the next generation of reactors proceed virtually unopposed and the feed-in-tariffs that would support renewable alternatives are on the scrap heap.

"Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Party lost control of the prosperous Baden- Württemberg region of South Germany for the first time in six decades…to the Green Party…[largely because of] the nuclear question…Last week, the German Chancellor announced the closure of seven reactors and Germany’s ‘measured exit’ from nuclear power production but the U-turn obviously came too late to affect the electorate."

The ambition was impressive. (click to enlarge)

"…Germany has a commitment to source 60% of its electricity from renewable sources by mid-century. The events in Japan are convincing, what seems to be a majority of Germans, that they want to advance that policy…A poll published in the German magazine Stern, last week showed that 52% of respondents wanted nuclear power phased out completely within five years."

The performance came close to the ambition - so they're turning away? (click to enlarge)

"Global unease about the safety of nuclear reactors increased after plutonium was detected in soil samples taken from around the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant…[reinforcing] fears that the full scale of the problem has still not been fully revealed to the world’s media…

"Greg Barker the Minister for Climate Change announced last week that the DECC were proposing to cut the Feed in Tariff for commercial solar development by more than 70% from August this year…[Renewables advocates say that] would effectively end all commercial development of solar energy in the UK…"