Coal will be German’s national king.  It’s not to be confused with that Nat King Cole. Despite its reputation for emission of harmful gases, Germany’s electricity, thanks to cleaner technology, will come from coal.

Germany's electricity (thanks to cleaner technology) will come from coal

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Germany is Europe’s biggest power market and in order to phase out nuclear power the Krauts must continue to focus on coal. Dependence on coal will also help Germany reduce its reliance on Russian gas.

“The planners are finding coal the more attractive option as opposed to gas, price-wise and in terms of availability,” said Manuel Frondel of the RWE research institute in Essen.

Germany gets half of its power output from coal which comes from reliable sources (friends) like Australia and South Africa.

The new technology – carbon capture and storage (CCS) is keeping environmentalists happy…until the storage bins become too fool, um, full.

Russia and Ukraine cut supplies to Europe in January throwing the reliability of gas as an energy source into doubt at a time when it was most needed. Russia can eat its heart out if the rest of the world learns to do without.

Germany’s cabinet already approved a CCS draft laws to develop the technology aimed at cutting coal plant pollution and burying CO2 underground.

CCS is coal-fired power generation’s only hope to play a role in the energy mix. In Britain, coal plants are already being forced to use CCS technology.

“Although CCS will take 10 to 15 years to develop and it is by no means certain that it will be applicable, passing the law will be one of the arguments in favor of the construction of new coal-fired plants,” said Claudia Kemfert of the DIW institute.

Russia! Ukraine! Are you reading?!

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Nuclear energy is not all that bad if you know how to tap into its vast potential in a proper fashion and if you can find the right way to dispose off the toxic waste. Even though it is not the ideal alternate energy source, it still is in a certain sense far better than fossil fuel.

Jordan is one of the driest countries on the planet and is so woefully short on energy resources that the nation imports 95% of all its energy needs. The tiny Arab state is now looking in a new direction as it signed a deal with China which allows it to develop nuclear power using its vast Uranium reserves.

The country’s 1.2 billion tons of phosphate reserves are estimated to contain 130,000 tons of uranium and the government intends to start mining the radioactive ore to fuel its first nuclear plant that will go online by 2015. By 2030, Jordan wishes to produce 30% of its energy needs from nuclear power.

With rich Uranium deposits and right technical help from China (wonder how right that is), Jordan will also use the power for a desalination process that will bring the much needed drinking water. While this is indeed a positive step forward, one hopes that Jordan uses its nuclear know-how judiciously.

I wonder if they considered a solar plant in Jordan. That would be much cleaner!

Image courtesy of Christopher Chan