Michael Shellenberger, Environmental Progress: Let’s look at 2016. Germany installed four percent more solar panels but generated three percent less electricity from solar. Even when I’m in meetings with energy experts and I ask people if they can make a guess as to why they think that is, and you’d be shocked by how many energy experts have no idea.
The reason is just that it wasn’t very sunny last year in Germany. Well, that probably meant that it was windier, right? Because if it’s not as sunny then maybe there’s more wind and those things can balance each other out? In truth, Germany installed 11 percent more wind turbines in 2016 but got two percent less of its electricity from wind. Same story. Just not very windy. Every major journal that looks at it concludes that nuclear is the safest way to make reliable electricity.
