Comparison of the energy concept of Germany and France with regard to the life cycle of electricity generation

The aim of the work was to compare the energy concepts of France and Germany with regard to the life cycle of the production of selected electricity sources. For the electricity sector in both countries, its development was compared and a production life cycle analysis was developed. The energy concept of France is more decarbonized, less affected by the loss of Russian energy fuel imports and the life cycle of electricity production of this concept is for 5 out of 7 indicators several times more environmentally friendly than in the case of Germany. On the other hand, it is constrained by the poor technical condition of nuclear reactors and their inefficient operation. The life cycle of electricity production in France has a higher Dissipated Water consumption of 29% and Ionising Radiation of 51%. Germany's energy concept has been successful in developing renewables so far, but is currently limited by the lack of transmission capacity between the north and south of the country. The German concept, with its higher share of fossil fuels, results in a life cycle of electricity generation that has 128% higher Minerals and Metals consumption, 600% higher Land Use, 283% higher Carcinogenic Effects, 1314% higher Water Eutrophication and 757% higher Climate Change Total than that of France in 2020. Moreover, Germany has deprived itself of the potential for a more environmentally friendly transition to renewables by decommissioning nuclear reactors before they reach their life cycle. The paper also developed an alternative concept for the German electricity sector in 2020, maintaining the same total amount of energy produced but with nuclear representation at 1997 levels. The indicator Climate Change Total, which represents the global warming potential, was 43.8% lower than in the actual year 2020.