Germany closing down all its coal plants

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

https://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la ... mBWiQv7xu0

Say they want to go all renewable and shit. How bout dat?

[Robovski]

Still a huge coal exporter. Good luck to them on going with ''renewables'' but you need steady base power generation for a stable economic base.

[Admiral X]

As long as steel is made, there will be a need for coal.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

As long as steel is made, there will be a need for coal.

With that attitude, yes.

[Admiral X]

No, you literally need coal to make steel.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

And if Germany were to become independent from steel markets?

[Admiral X]

If they lack the ability to make their own, that would make them kind of dependent on the world market, wouldn't it?

[Madner Kami]

And if Germany were to become independent from steel markets?

Um... How exactly would that work? Germany is currently the 7th largest steel producer in the world and Germany alone produces more than one quarter of all the steel produced in the EU. A huge part of the industry in Germany is dependant on steel production as well, as the machine and heavy industry are high level contributors to the GDP and is pretty much the foundation of the wealth of this nation.

Germany ain't Thatcher's UK. We are not stupid enough to deconstruct our own industrial base in the vain hopes that financial products can carry our economy...

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

And if Germany were to become independent from steel markets?

Um... How exactly would that work? Germany is currently the 7th largest steel producer in the world and Germany alone produces more than one quarter of all the steel produced in the EU. A huge part of the industry in Germany is dependant on steel production as well, as the machine and heavy industry are high level contributors to the GDP and is pretty much the foundation of the wealth of this nation.

Germany ain't Thatcher's UK. We are not stupid enough to deconstruct our own industrial base in the vain hopes that financial products can carry our economy...

https://coalaction.org.nz/carbon-emissi ... thout-coal

Is it technically possibly to make steel without coal?

The obvious answer is that it must be, as early iron and steel production used wood-derived charcoal instead of coal-derived. However the scale of today’s industry is vastly bigger than two hundred years ago.

Electrolysis has been shown to be capable of coal-free steel production but the technology is said to require another 20 years of development before full commercialisation. (1) However, this is roughly the time it will take under Hansen’s scenario to phase out coal directly, making it a possible option for the future.

Charcoal made from wood or other biomass can provide the reducing function, a source of energy and the minor carbon component in steel; with further heat obtained from electricity or natural gas (or biogas). However, even the small quantities of iron and steel made a couple of centuries ago, along with the heavy demands of ship building, had a serious impact on Europe’s forests. The scale of steel demand is now many times greater, so the real question is about scale and sustainability. Climate change cannot be considered in isolation from land use, food production, and forestry policy.

Re: OP Article

Germany, one of the world’s biggest consumers of coal, will shut down all 84 of its coal-fired power plants over the next 19 years to meet its international commitments in the fight against climate change, a government commission said Saturday.

[Admiral X]

So like I said, you need coal to make steel. Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, and coal is the best source of carbon.