Germany’s commitment to renewable energy couldn’t have come as a worse time. Despite not being known for its bright, sunshine-y days the German state poured billions into renewable solar and wind power systems, hoping to rely on its nuclear power generation capabilities as its weaned off of coal. Then, the Fukushima Daiichi disaster throw a wrench into everything. With nuclear off the table, and wind and solar never really on, Germany has lurched back into relying on one of the dirtiest—but most reliable—fuel sources left to them: lignite coal. Which is why despite a marked rise in state investment in renewables German CO2 emissions have gone up.
