When German chancellor Angela Merkel declared in 2011 that her country would phase out nuclear power, it sent a scare throughout the industry.

The announcement came less than three months after the Fukushima power-plant catastrophe, which spewed cancer-causing radioactive particles over Japan and across the Pacific Ocean.

Merkel, who has a PhD in physics, said at the time that Germany would be free of nuclear power by 2022.

But some wondered what impact this would have on Germany's solid record in addressing greenhouse-gas emissions.

It stands in stark contrast to Canada's woeful performance.

Two years after Merkel's announcement, it appears that her country is seriously ramping up its research into renewable energy. 

A new article in Nature highlights how Germany is investing $4.5 million in a power-to-gas pilot plant, which could offset the unreliability of solar and wind power.

"During sunny or breezy days, excess electricity can be used to make methane, which can be stored and then burned to generate power when the winds fail or the days turn dark," writes Nature's Quirin Schiermeier.

It's part of a legislated plan to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. The total cost, according to Nature, is estimated to be over $1.5 trillion.

This massive national effort is called the Energiewende, and it's the world's largest push to switch from carbon-based energy to wind and solar power.

Concerns about climate change are motivating these massive capital expenditure.

Before Merkel visited Canada last August, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's media supporters tried to make hay out of the economic problems in the Eurozone. It was their way of diminishing Merkel.

But when it comes to clean energy, Merkel has left our politicians, and especially Harper, looking like a bunch of dinosaurs.