Like other industrial nations, Germany faces a formidable challenge in covering its future energy needs amid rising raw material prices, the threat of climate change and worries about the reliability of oil and gas supplies.
A decision eight years ago to phase out nuclear energy, which provides a quarter of Germany's electricity consumption, is making it especially hard on Europe's largest economy to meet its three goals: lowering its dependence on imported fuel, cutting harmful carbon gas emissions, and maintaining a plentiful power supply at prices industry and households can afford.
