To divide
Consumers are angry about the phase out of nuclear energy in Germany. Furthermore, why are half-truths disseminated even in public law? A blogger reveals.
Munich – No more nuclear energy! Today, Saturday (April 15th), the last three German reactors were shut down. An era ends. Finally, some say. Irresponsible, critics complain. It is sometimes argued that nuclear power plants are CO₂ neutral, safe and generally much better than renewable energy sources. But what is the truth behind the nuclear myths that have been circulating in the media for weeks now? An ARD poll shows that a majority of Germans are against phasing out nuclear power.
In a few days, does Isar 2 produce more electricity than 30,000 wind turbines? RBB chart turns out to be wrong
“Isar 2 is currently operating at 70% of its capacity, and in a few days that means that Isar 2 alone generates more electricity than all 30,000 wind turbines in Germany,” said ARD author Thomas Berbner in a documentary. RBB’s “Radioeins” put the quote on a quick share photo.
Does one furnace outperform 30,000 wind turbines? It can hardly be, thought Volksverpetzer.de and examined the facts very carefully, evaluating the energy graphs from 2018 to 2023. The result: Isar 2 has not produced more energy in a single day in the last five years. “Zero days in 2018, zero days in 2019, zero days in 2020, zero days in 2021, zero days in 2022 and zero days in 2023,” he boldly lists.
Yes, it may happen that the nuclear power plant sometimes produces more electricity than the wind turbines. In extreme cases, even twice as much. In fact, this almost never happens. In just five of the 2,500 hours of operation, Isar 2 was ahead. On April 5th, from 9:15 am to 2:00 pm. The kiln never managed to double production.
Atomic company misunderstood: PreussenElektra compares performance when there is no wind
How did ARD man Berbner arrive at his statement? Volksverpetzer.de believes that the author has misinterpreted the operating company. “Currently, the KKI 2 is still powering almost 70% of its production and is therefore supplying almost twice as much as all the approximately 30,000 wind turbines in Germany combined per hour, for example when the wind was calm yesterday,” PreussenElektra wrote on April 6 on Twitter.
“Radioeins” has now adapted the original post and put it in the description: “In some days” refers to the dark lull, i.e. the days when there is no sun and no wind blows.” A classic snag of popular sharepics, in two sentences is rarely enough room for completeness. Reviews still praise the station. “Your addition of ‘dark session’ is now just a delicate attempt to justify this embarrassing quote,” complains one user.
The comparison between nuclear power plants and wind turbines is lame: Renewables work as a whole
Especially since the comparison between nuclear and wind power is lame anyway, notes Volksverpetzer.de. If there is little wind, solar radiation is usually even stronger. During the five hours of “black calm”, 27 to 41 gigawatts of water, biomass and solar power were on the grid. A nuclear power plant alone produces about a gigawatt.
In general, the blogger complains about errors in content and controversy in public service reports. For him, the documentary “Germany shuts down – the nuclear phase-out and the consequences” bordered on the political agenda. In a daily news commentary, documentarian Berbner criticized the Greens, among others, for having pressured Germany to phase out nuclear power.
Union and FDP brought the energy law on the way: Merkel, Ramsauer and Rösler announced the change
Whether the decision is right or wrong, the Greens have not made it. In 2011, black and yellow started nuclear elimination. Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) announced the switch to renewable energy at a press conference. Beside her: Philipp Rösler (FDP) and Peter Ramsauer (CSU).
The fact is: the energy law goes into effect, the last three nuclear power plants are closed and for now there is no going back. Of course, the exit also has consequences for consumers. Security of supply is not at risk, emphasizes Robert Habeck (Greens). Energy prices could still rise. (moe)