The wind turbine is some very large blades on a very large stick turning a generator that is under much higher loads in the wrong direction sitting on top of a

The wind turbine is some very large blades on a very large stick turning a generator that is under much higher loads in the wrong direction sitting on top of a big slab or buoy of concrete or steel. A pebble bed reactor is basically just a ball pit full of very expensive balls that will "get cheaper with scale bro we swear" that gets hot and needs stirring from time to time. The steam generator part, even if you're not using one that already exists, is about the same cost and upkeep as a wind turbine as the added maintenance from the temperature and steam is roughly offset by the smaller size. So it comes down to whether the ball pit once it gets all the indirect and hidden subsidies that nuclear gets can be about the same price again, then the slightly higher load factor makes up the difference. My money is on we get a few shoved down our throats whether we like it or not at prices about comparable with wind (lower up front but more expensive once it's obvious that O&M is 5x the estimate), then the IAEA and NRC will be all shocked pikachu when they start dispersing a not-immediately-provably-fatal amount of fission products as if it's a surprise and not inevitable. Then the limits will be raised during some energy crisis pointing to the failure of wind after a large storm knocks out a bunch of power lines and one wind turbine.