The return to nuclear power divides politics and society. Between climate targets, rising electricity prices and technological uncertainties, more and more voices are calling for a return to nuclear energy. Professor Dr.-Ing. Tobias Plessing, Head of the Institute for Hydrogen and Energy Technology at Hof University of Applied Sciences, discussed whether this is actually a viable option on Tuesday evening as part of the city lecture in the student café “Zur Auszeit”.
In his lecture, Plessing traced the development of the German electricity market – from liberalization and the massive expansion of renewable energies to the current situation of a grid that is already characterized by overproduction in regions such as Hof.
We already have too much electricity in the grid today because wind and solar energy are excessively available at certain times.”
Prof. Dr. Tobias Plessing
The challenge now is to store this energy efficiently – for example in pumped storage power plants or using hydrogen technology.
Plessing was ambivalent about nuclear energy, which was finally shut down after the German nuclear phase-out in 2023. Although nuclear power is low in CO₂, it is by no means emission-free – especially during the construction of the plants. In addition, safety concerns, such as those that became public after the disasters in Chernobyl and Fukushima, have not been dispelled:
As a rule, it is not the technology that fails, but the people.”
Prof. Dr. Tobias Plessing
The idea of having to control such a “monster” is still fraught with uncertainty. Plessing also took a clear stance on the topic of final storage. Underground storage facilities are problematic because future generations could lose track of the condition and location of radioactive waste. There are currently only two repositories in the world: in Finland and in the USA, both of which are underground. In his view, a transparent, above-ground concept would be preferable.
The speaker was particularly critical of the often-invoked hope for fusion reactors:
‘We don’t even have working prototypes yet. We can’t expect them for at least 25 years – and even then the CO2 savings will only be limited.”
Prof. Dr. Tobias Plessing
At the end of the presentation, Plessing made a clear plea for the consistent expansion of renewable energies in combination with storage systems and intelligent load management, as well as the consistent expansion of the grid, which has been neglected to date. “From a share of 50 percent renewable energies, new nuclear power plants are no longer economically viable anyway. Renewables are already the cheapest way to generate electricity today.”
The energy expert openly criticized the fact that electricity prices for private households continue to rise and added: “We have an energy price for large-scale industry, we need a lower electricity price for private individuals.”
The event was met with great interest. Numerous questions from the audience led to a lively discussion – not only on a technical level, but also on a social level.
With regard to the university’s planned Energy Institute, Plessing announced that the building would be energy self-sufficient – with the help of an innovative ice storage system. “My aim is for you to form your own opinion,” said Plessing at the beginning of his presentation – and offered well-founded, critical and balanced arguments.
