Nuclear power has been a major topic of energy policy debate in Germany since the 1950s, and it was a key issue in all energiewende discussions. The March 2011 closure of seven nuclear power plants (the oldest in Germany) sparked an intense debate over the economic effects this might have,...

Die kommende Klimakonferenz in Paris wird einmal mehr den Handlungsbedarf zur globalen Minderung von Treibhausgasemissionen verdeutlichen, um die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels einzudämmen. Relevante globale Energieszenarien gehen oftmals noch davon aus, dass der Ausbau der Atomkraft einen...

Fragen der Finanzierung des Rückbaus von Atomkraftwerken und der Entsorgung radioaktiver Abfälle stehen im Mittelpunkt der gegenwärtigen Diskussion um die weitere Ausgestaltung des Atomausstiegs. Es besteht die Gefahr, dass sich die Atomkraftwerksbetreiber ihrer finanziellen Verantwortung...

Within the context of climate change mitigation plans for investments into new nuclear power plants are spreading. While several non-nuclear countries plan first light-water nuclear plants, countries such as the US invests several billions of dollars into the development of so called non-light...

Although plutonium has been studied by different disciplines (such as technology and innovation studies, political sciences) since its discovery, back in 1940 at the University of California (Berkeley), the resource and environmental economic literature is still relatively scarce; neither does the...

Drei Jahre nach der Atomkatastrophe im japanischen Fukushima rücken Laufzeitverlängerungen bestehender Kernkraftwerke und der Bau neuer Reaktoren weltweit wieder stärker in den Fokus. Befürworter erhoffen sich eine kostengünstige Stromerzeugung, eine sichere Energieversorgung sowie einen...

The world needs to continue working to protect the climate—this is generally undisputed. However, there is no agreement on which technologies should be used to decarbonize the energy sector. Many international scenarios still assume a relevant role for nuclear power in the future. However, a...

Nuclear energy is among the most important innovations of the twentieth century, and it continues to play an important role in twenty-first century discussions. In particular, there is a debate about the potential contribution of nuclear power to policies of climate change mitigation and energy...