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Ultra-reliable nuclear power, like in France where a couple of reactors had to be shut down due to safety issues detected? Yes, wind and solar are limited in t

by _ph_ 5y ago

Ultra-reliable nuclear power, like in France where a couple of reactors had to be shut down due to safety issues detected? Yes, wind and solar are limited in their available capacity by the weather. The trick to get reliable power generation nonetheless are wide range networks (mitigates weather influences), storage solutions and storable renewables like bio-gas. For the gap, gas powered plans are the key. Even in the worst case, they are way more environment friendly than coal, only emit a fraction of the CO2 at the same output. But beyond that, they can be quickly switched in output, they are the ideal counterpart to wind and solar. That is the weakness of coal and especially nuclear power plants. Also, one can afford a lot of overproduction capacity for the cost of a new nuclear power plant.

himinlomax 5y ago
> Ultra-reliable nuclear power, like in France where a couple of reactors had to be shut down due to safety issues detected? A perfectly fine plant, Fessenheim, was shut down recently due to antinuke luddites.
- _ph_ 5y ago
  No, an unreliable old plant with severe safety concerns was shut down not very recently. Currently 16 French nuclear plants are not operating due to maintenance. About 4 of those went offline very recently (as in November or December) because severe issues were detected which needed to be addressed at once.
- cedilla 5y ago
  How are the people who want to build modern energy plants the luddites? If anything it's the people who insist to keep ancient technology on life support that had failed all its promises by the late 1970s who are luddites.
ryan93 5y ago
ClumsyPilot 5y ago
> Ultra-reliable nuclear power, like in France where a couple of reactors had to be shut down due to safety issues detected? Two reactors out of 56 needed an inspection once in a while? Do you think a gas plant never stops for repairs? Why do you resort to anecdata when we have statistics on reliability going back decades?
criley2 5y ago
Gas is not for baseload generation, it's for peaker power. The idea of using gas for baseload is extremely cost prohibitive, you'll be paying double price for your power. You have it totally backwards: the reliability of coal and especially nuclear to produce a constant output is the strength! That's called baseload generation, the ability to produce large amounts of power reliably, rain or shine, night or day, windy or still for a set low cost. This is why nuclear is the best to pair with unreliable solar/wind technologies. Not only is nuclear DRAMATICALLY more friendly than literally burning oil like you suggest, it also provides a completely stable baseload for your industry. The idea that someone would suggest using oil over nuclear is insane. Are we trying to save the planet or not? There is nothing environmental about gas! It's a non-renewable resource that is likely already "post-peak" and will experience increasing scarcity and dramatic price increases over the next century. Needing peaker power ontop of baseload, such as gas plants, is a different aspect of power generation. You wouldn't want to use gas as base, and you can't rely on solar/wind as base. As Germany in the real world evidenced: coal is the backstop for base there. And when you consider how many batteries one needs for all the extra generation one is using because of their weird dislike of the greatest and greenest power generation technology there is, one should consider the ecological and environmental impact. Nuclear build outs are tiny and use a fuel whose energy density is several orders of magnitude above everything else. Solar takes up a huge amount of space and takes a lot of materials that are messy to mine for that nuclear doesn't. Consistent generation > battery storage every time.

by _ph_ 5y ago

himinlomax 5y ago

> Ultra-reliable nuclear power, like in France where a couple of reactors had to be shut down due to safety issues detected? A perfectly fine plant, Fessenheim, was shut down recently due to antinuke luddites.

_ph_ 5y ago
No, an unreliable old plant with severe safety concerns was shut down not very recently. Currently 16 French nuclear plants are not operating due to maintenance. About 4 of those went offline very recently (as in November or December) because severe issues were detected which needed to be addressed at once.
cedilla 5y ago
How are the people who want to build modern energy plants the luddites? If anything it's the people who insist to keep ancient technology on life support that had failed all its promises by the late 1970s who are luddites.

ryan93 5y ago

ClumsyPilot 5y ago

> Ultra-reliable nuclear power, like in France where a couple of reactors had to be shut down due to safety issues detected? Two reactors out of 56 needed an inspection once in a while? Do you think a gas plant never stops for repairs? Why do you resort to anecdata when we have statistics on reliability going back decades?

criley2 5y ago

Gas is not for baseload generation, it's for peaker power. The idea of using gas for baseload is extremely cost prohibitive, you'll be paying double price for your power. You have it totally backwards: the reliability of coal and especially nuclear to produce a constant output is the strength! That's called baseload generation, the ability to produce large amounts of power reliably, rain or shine, night or day, windy or still for a set low cost. This is why nuclear is the best to pair with unreliable solar/wind technologies. Not only is nuclear DRAMATICALLY more friendly than literally burning oil like you suggest, it also provides a completely stable baseload for your industry. The idea that someone would suggest using oil over nuclear is insane. Are we trying to save the planet or not? There is nothing environmental about gas! It's a non-renewable resource that is likely already "post-peak" and will experience increasing scarcity and dramatic price increases over the next century. Needing peaker power ontop of baseload, such as gas plants, is a different aspect of power generation. You wouldn't want to use gas as base, and you can't rely on solar/wind as base. As Germany in the real world evidenced: coal is the backstop for base there. And when you consider how many batteries one needs for all the extra generation one is using because of their weird dislike of the greatest and greenest power generation technology there is, one should consider the ecological and environmental impact. Nuclear build outs are tiny and use a fuel whose energy density is several orders of magnitude above everything else. Solar takes up a huge amount of space and takes a lot of materials that are messy to mine for that nuclear doesn't. Consistent generation > battery storage every time.