Of course there could have been an even more radical counterfactual where Germany decided to get out of coal by doubling down on nuclear but that hasn't been a political possibility in Germany for many years.
Of course there could have been an even more radical counterfactual where Germany decided to get out of coal by doubling down on nuclear but that hasn't been a political possibility in Germany for many years.
Your theory that it's France's extensive nuclear use seems unlikely though since Spain, UK, Portugal, Italy etc. all seem to be roughly on par.
My initial guess is that burning coal, or worse lignite or worse peat, seems to be the decisive factor, though high industry usage also plays a part.
If you just compare carbon intensity per KWh produced, then France has a notable lead, 6 times less than Germany, so I wonder what brings them back down into the pack. Is some of that electricity being wasted or used inefficiently?