<story><title>3,599,040,600 € wired by Germany to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine</title><url>https://stopgas.org/en/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>macspoofing</author><text>If you double-down on renewables, then you double-down on natural gas. Germany decided to close down their nuclear and coal generation, so the only thing that is  left is natural gas for base load (and to augment renewable intermittency problems).</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>j-pb</author><text>Or on batteries, or on liquid salt thermal storage upgrades for old fossil plants, or on hydro storage, or on salt cavern pneumatic pressure, or on hydrogen, or on regenerative iron dust cycles, or...&lt;p&gt;The idea that it&amp;#x27;s nuclear or fossil for baseload is a false dichotomy, that ingores the dozens of intermediary storage solutions.&lt;p&gt;Solar is currently the cheapest source of energy with a margin. Add storage to an overproduction system, and it&amp;#x27;s still cheaper.&lt;p&gt;The german failure to finish the &amp;quot;energiewende&amp;quot; is a political one, driven by corrupt conservative politicians and the privatized energy sector, to press as much return out of their old investments as possible.</text></comment>
<story><title>3,599,040,600 € wired by Germany to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine</title><url>https://stopgas.org/en/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>macspoofing</author><text>If you double-down on renewables, then you double-down on natural gas. Germany decided to close down their nuclear and coal generation, so the only thing that is  left is natural gas for base load (and to augment renewable intermittency problems).</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>wffurr</author><text>Storage, transmission lines, and over provisioning are also alternatives.&lt;p&gt;Still blows my mind that Germany and other countries are closing nuclear facilities though.</text></comment>