An article by Al Maiorino, Energy Manager Today.

An ambitious domestic energy plan is being pursued by German Chancellor Angela Merkel following the Fukushima Nuclear Plant fall out in 2011: phase-out nuclear and coal-powered energy plants for a complete shift to renewable energy sources. The plan, titled Energiewende, sets the deadline for nuclear phase-out by 2022 and aims for a complete transition to renewable energy sources by 2050. Though the energy plan has been met with widespread political support and a mostly favorable population, the growing threat of organized opposition to a changing German landscape could prevent the project from reaching its full potential. Despite this possibility, the energy revolution in Germany seeks to make the country the first industrial nation in the world to complete a full transition to renewable energy sources.

The immediate the results of the Energiewende have showed positive progress for the nation. According to the BBC, in 2012, 22 percent of Germany’s energy production came from renewable sources. The government seeks to increase these production levels to 35 percent by 2020 and at least 80 percent by 2050.

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