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Problem is, we might not be able to build them fast enough. China is currently the leader in deployment of nuclear power, but even there wind power overtook it

by Tade0 5y ago

Problem is, we might not be able to build them fast enough. China is currently the leader in deployment of nuclear power, but even there wind power overtook it in terms of GWh delivered in 2013 and the difference was been widening ever since. Similarly within a decade solar went from delivering 1% of the energy nuclear did, to 70%. At this rate it will close the gap before 2025.

RcouF1uZ4gsC 5y ago
If there is a will, there is a way. The US invented the nuclear bomb in just a few years with the Manhattan project. The biggest obstacle has been the anti-science FUD spread largely by environmental groups.
- pfdietz 5y ago
  No, the biggest obstacles has been the gross economic failure of nuclear. The claims it would be cheap were always lies, although the boosters increasingly desperately blame anyone else they can.
not2b 5y ago
It's seems it would suffice to have enough nuclear power to keep the grid going when the sun is down and the wind isn't blowing. You could then have a zero-carbon system. You'd need designs that you can turn on and off easily. Maybe a bit of battery storage to handle transitions smoothly.
seiferteric 5y ago
It's a fair point, but we just don't know yet, which it is important for research to continue. From an intuitive sense though, I think our economic growth and our standard of living is tied to energy costs, and being tied to a low EROEI system means to me that it will limit our potential since a larger % of the economy must be devoted to building/replacing them rather than doing other things.
j_walter 5y ago
Unfortunately a lot of nuclear plants went offline and very few were built in the last 20 years. As they aged they were deemed to much of a risk and shut down. If they had continued to have been built then Solar would not have gained so much, but there was too much push back on nuclear after the Fukushima incident. https://www.powermag.com/taiwan-shuts-another-reactor-as-part-of-nuclear-free-goal/ https://www.powermag.com/taiwan-shuts-another-reactor-as-par...

by Tade0 5y ago

RcouF1uZ4gsC 5y ago

If there is a will, there is a way. The US invented the nuclear bomb in just a few years with the Manhattan project. The biggest obstacle has been the anti-science FUD spread largely by environmental groups.

pfdietz 5y ago
No, the biggest obstacles has been the gross economic failure of nuclear. The claims it would be cheap were always lies, although the boosters increasingly desperately blame anyone else they can.

not2b 5y ago

It's seems it would suffice to have enough nuclear power to keep the grid going when the sun is down and the wind isn't blowing. You could then have a zero-carbon system. You'd need designs that you can turn on and off easily. Maybe a bit of battery storage to handle transitions smoothly.

seiferteric 5y ago

It's a fair point, but we just don't know yet, which it is important for research to continue. From an intuitive sense though, I think our economic growth and our standard of living is tied to energy costs, and being tied to a low EROEI system means to me that it will limit our potential since a larger % of the economy must be devoted to building/replacing them rather than doing other things.

j_walter 5y ago

Unfortunately a lot of nuclear plants went offline and very few were built in the last 20 years. As they aged they were deemed to much of a risk and shut down. If they had continued to have been built then Solar would not have gained so much, but there was too much push back on nuclear after the Fukushima incident. https://www.powermag.com/taiwan-shuts-another-reactor-as-part-of-nuclear-free-goal/ https://www.powermag.com/taiwan-shuts-another-reactor-as-par...