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Comment by MattHeard | Hacker News Reader

Germany's electricity generation from coal has over the long run substantially decreased. The low of 2020 appears to correlate with the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase since then appears to be more of a reversion to the original trend than anything to do with changes in electricity from nuclear.

2022 coal use is a third greater than 2020, as _dain_ mentions, but 2020 was anomalously low usage rather than representing a normal baseline for comparison.

While any increase in coal usage is a problem, the coal use should be compared to the average of the last few years with the anomaly of 2020 removed. This would produce effectively no increase or decrease in coal usage.

Source: https://ag-energiebilanzen.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/STR... via https://ag-energiebilanzen.de/

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If Germany had kept all its nukes running in the past 20 years, it would be 100% coal-free RIGHT NOW. It would have saved literally MILLIONS OF LIVES. There is absolutely no possible excuse for this.

> It would have saved literally MILLIONS OF LIVES

Estimates are less than 5000 deaths per year in Germany. Quite a bit off.

[1] https://www.greenpeace.de/klimaschutz/energiewende/kohleauss...

According to various articles, coal is causing more than 20 000 to per year in Europe.

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Report-Fi... https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanres/PIIS2213-2600...

Some sources say as much as 200 000 deaths per year: https://www.lemondedelenergie.com/electricite-allemagne-char...

If that's true, that means that coal killed about 4 million Europeans since 2003.

Germany isn't all Europe. Also, at it's highest nuclear was 22.4 GW, at its lowest coal was 37,9 GW. So, your second point, about being 100% coal-free if nuclear had been kept, is also not correct.

[1] https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-energy-c...

Nuclear plants can run at nearly 100% capacity all the time, while burning more coal gets more expensive. You can't simply compare raw theoretical power. Else Germany would already be 100% on renewables.

You're looking for excuses. Nuclear power killed precisely zero person in Europe in the past 20 years (and exactly one in the whole world). Coal power killed at the very least hundreds of thousands in the same time. Period. Beat around the bush as much as you want, there is no possible escape from the facts.

You made uncorrect claims, I corrected them and now, you are changing the argument. I actually don't have a problem with nuclear power in general.

From your source: in 2022, 4.1GW of nuclear power provided 34.7 TWh (theoretical maximum : 35.9 TWh, load over 90%), while 37.9GW of coal provided 183 TWh (less than 60% load : burning coal is expensive).

In 2002, still according to your own source, nuclear power plants provided about 180 TWh. So I stand by my affirmation: with continued 2002/2003 nuclear capacity, Germany would be virtually coal-free right now. Had they spent the money spent on buying coal on building some more wind turbines, it would definitely be a done thing.

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