Earthquakes are not thought to be directly responsible for any effect on the green energy market or use. That has proven to be false in recent events. After the earthquake in Japan that registered 8.9 on the Richter scale, the solar power grids are down in several locations. The production of solar panels at several manufacturing sites is also halted due to the damage done to the plants. Also, several facilities that were not damaged by the effects of the earthquake are closed as well, due to the power grid's failing.
There may be a marketing decrease, as well as a decrease in sales, since the halting of the production of solar panels in Japan. This is because Japanese facilities manufacture a little over a quarter of the global supply of solar panels. This could drastically change the time line many countries have for implementing, amending or editing legal mandates regarding the use of green energy.
Even though the power grid was disrupted and production of solar panels has halted momentarily, it now appears that the future is gearing away from the nuclear power plants that are so common in countries such as the United States, China, Japan and Australia. All of these countries are also extremely susceptible to earthquakes. If large scale earthquakes hit in these countries near power plants, the catastrophe that caught Fukushima off guard may well catch these countries off guard as well.
Many countries, such as Germany and Italy, are advancing the scheduled plans for shutting down nuclear power plant facilities following the earthquake crisis in Fukushima, Japan. These countries have had increased costs of maintaining old power plants or building new ones. This had led to safety concerns in view of natural disasters. Germany has also stated that the inability to find a suitable, long term solution to the problem of nuclear fuel disposal.
The use of geothermal energy has been debated for some time, and it has been found that drilling projects that are meant to find sources of this earth-produced heat system can be linked directly to several earthquakes. In light of this news and the nuclear catastrophe associated with Fukushima, the green energy movement may be geared more completely towards solar and wind power alone. The need for green energy, however, is still a strong point for many countries. Other countries are expected to amp up research and production of solar panels and wind turbines in an attempt to reduce the amount of time it is predicted to take in order to shut down nuclear power plants. This may mean not only more technological advances in the design and efficiency of green energy conversion processes, but also a greater supply for the larger public demand that may be seen.
