3 ms·
That's a great comparison of producing, installing, maintaining and recycling, but what about the thing we're building this in the first place? Generating power
by franga2000 4y ago
That's a great comparison of producing, installing, maintaining and recycling, but what about the thing we're building this in the first place? Generating power?
Let's say we shut down a coal power plant, which was 30% of a region's energy mix, and want to replace its output. What's the total cost and environmental impact of doing that with solar vs nuclear? This is the only thing that matters. Even if solar panels are 100x better per-peak-watt, by the time you add all the overprovisioning and storage necessary to cover the baseline during nights and overcast days, the numbers look very very different.
The only question that matters is what solution can cover the need, currently met by fossil fuels. That solution isn't just the generation method, it's everything else we need in order to match not just the baseline and peak output, but the entire curve.
- adrianN 4y agoHinkley Point C will cost about 100pounds/MWh give or take 10%. Wind power in the UK has strike prices around forty pounds per MWh. That leaves a bit of room for storage before you're more expensive than Hinkley Point C.
- belorn 4y agohttps://www.catalyst-commercial.co.uk/wholesale-electricity-prices/ https://www.catalyst-commercial.co.uk/wholesale-electricity-... With prices climbing there is a lot of room for things to compete. Similar inside europe (https://tradingeconomics.com/euro-area/energy-prices https://tradingeconomics.com/euro-area/energy-prices). I think a lot of household would accept a contract for 40 pounds per MWh for the whole year regardless of weather with guarantied capacity, and under liability in the case the contract is not fulfilled.