Investments in nuclear power and gas can now be considered a contribution to sustainable development
The European Union Parliament has revised the clauses in the draft law on renewable technologies. According to the innovation, investments in nuclear power and gas are considered to be among the components of the concept of sustainable development. According to experts, the changes assume that the norms of taxonometry will start to apply in the territory of the European Union as early as next year.
Taxonometry is a list of technologies that can be considered green. This list is primarily designed for investors, who can now use a particular approach within the framework of alternative energy. This option allows for a significant expansion of investment activities and areas for investment of capital.
The main proponent of the recognition of nuclear power as a sector of green energy has been France. But despite the fact that this type of energy is not a source of greenhouse gas emissions, it carries other risks for the environment and the health of living organisms. We are talking about radioactive waste, which requires proper storage and a complex disposal process.
As for gas, many EU countries have recognized that the harm from its use is much less than from coal, so priority is given to this raw material.
But the German government has said it will continue to follow a plan to phase out nuclear power. According to it, by the end of 2022, all nuclear power plants in the country should be closed. Not all politicians support this position of the government. Many of them fear that abandoning this source of energy may become critical against the backdrop of declining gas supplies.
The main reason for closing nuclear power plants is safety issues. Now there are only three plants operating in Germany, and the strategy to abandon nuclear power was adopted back in 2011, and it has been systematically implemented since then. The accident at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant raised serious concerns about the feasibility of using such capacity, and then the government decided to curtail nuclear power to avoid risks. In addition, according to the German Ministry of Economics, the closure of nuclear power plants is already an unavoidable process, and from 2023 it will become impossible to comply with safety protocols at the plants.
As an alternative source, solar power is actively developing in Germany. Despite the fact that the country can hardly be called the sunniest region of Europe, the number of photovoltaic panels here is growing. Their efficiency is quite high, as the elements capture energy even in cloudy weather. The government, for its part, fully encourages the development of this direction, helping to build solar power plants and install panels on the roofs of new residential buildings and office buildings. In addition to solar power, the country is also developing wind power, which allows for a significant increase in the share of renewable energy in total energy production.
