But according to a report in The Economist, one thing is certain, at this point anyway: The impact on Germany's big four power companies has been huge. They are the big losers in what has been dubbed Germany's energy u-turn.

Just a few years back the big four - E.ON, EnBW, RWE and Valtenfall – provided 86% of the country's power supply, controlled most of the transmission system and profits were juicy, according to The Economist.

But then several things happened. One was the European Commission order to spin off their transmission networks; another was the requirement to shut down their nuclear plants. And meanwhile, subsidized solar and wind farms cut into the margins the power plants used to enjoy -- yet the utilities still have to keep the lights on when the renewables are idle. They'll need to build new capacity, but there is more uncertainty about what that should be.

As it stands, not everyone thinks Germany's energy u-turn will be its last.

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From The Economist: Don't mention the atom

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