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I agree that it'll be interesting to see. A primarily-wind Japan would be cool if it could be done, and it seems like a win/win. I wonder if it still makes sen

by jchw 4y ago

I agree that it'll be interesting to see. A primarily-wind Japan would be cool if it could be done, and it seems like a win/win. I wonder if it still makes sense to keep nuclear energy around in the mix as a sort of backup, though. We've already got a ton of plants that could probably last more decades with proper maintenance to my understanding, and despite making up a small number of energy production facilities they make up a huge mix of the energy in the world, so it seems like it could be a solid backup plan in a primarily wind and solar world.

mikeyouse 4y ago
Oh yeah, existing plants can be operated at very low cost -- if they're sited in safe locations, and certified / refurbished for extended use beyond their design life, it definitely makes sense to keep them running for as long as possible. If Japan overbuilds their wind resources while maintaining their nuclear fleet, they could send the nuclear electrons the other direction and power Korea with nuclear.