Unplugging Reactors, Hoping Lights Stay On.

BIBLIS, Germany -- Not since the grim period after World War II has Germany had significant blackouts, but it is now bracing for that possibility after shutting down half its nuclear reactors practically overnight. Nuclear plants have long generated nearly a quarter of Germany's electricity. But after the tsunami and earthquake that sent radiation spewing from Fukushima, half a world away, the government disconnected the 8 oldest of Germany's 17 reactors -- including the two in this drab factory town -- within days. Three months later, with a new plan to power the country without nuclear energy and a growing reliance on renewable energy, Parliament voted to close them permanently. There are plans to retire the remaining nine reactors by 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]