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Energy security is going to be a prime concern, not only for nations but individual persons too. Fossil fuels are either going to run out, or carbon emissions a

Energy security is going to be a prime concern, not only for nations but individual persons too. Fossil fuels are either going to run out, or carbon emissions are going to be heavily taxed, or both. Nuclear power does not seem to be a favourite or a viable option. Renewables are not getting enough support to make them viable for consumers or industries at scale. In a decade or 2 an average Jack&Jill family won’t be able to afford living on gas. People would be happy to buy a smaller house [those who can afford a house] with independent solar power. A solar setup is easily capable of generating surplus electricity for a consumption by a family, right from heating to charging their EVs.

PaulHoule 3y ago
Popular support for nuclear energy is higher than you’d think after the Fukushima accident, people are aware there is a climate crisis going on. The light water reactor has two problems: (1) Russia is the only country that is really building them on a N-th of a kind basis, everybody else is building them so sporadically each is practically first of a kind. France was approaching where Russia is 30 years ago but they gave up, Korea wishes they were where Russia is but they are not, China wants to be where Russia is in ten years and maybe they will be. (This is the possibility of Russia endangering Zaphorisia NPP would be such an own goal.) (2) is that the economics are not great even if people could build NPPs without screwing up and it is not just the nuclear island but the heat exchangers, steam turbine and balance of systems. There is the hope that the parts of an LWR can be put together in some way at some scale that deletes some expensive systems, there is the most enthusiasm now for GE’s BWRX300, but you have to not only do that but push through the growing pains to get N-of-a-kind economics. Now it is not impossible that some other reactor type that runs at higher temperatures could lower the cost of heat handling but that’s not an easy route either since all kinds of practical problems involving materials and such need to be solved. On the other hand, the impact for the future of humanity could be priceless. It’s quite the problem that the U.S. gave up on the fast flux test facility and that we’ve lost 30+ years of progress we could have made on next generation reactors, there is serious talk of building all kinds of test reactor today that we should have been having 20 years ago.
- nvrgngvup 3y ago
  One way or other we would be moving away from gas. In your opinion which odd these scenarios is most likely: 1. Commercial and consumer market for solar 2. Commissioned NPPs 3. Something else
  - PaulHoule 3y ago
    We need all of the above in large amounts. Solar and wind are promising but I think experiencing irrational exuberance. It takes about as long to build power lines as it does to build NPPs and it takes plenty of power lines to move energy from the richest areas to where the demand is. 20 years ago people assumed we’d need weeks worth of power storage to smooth demand, today the estimates are dramatically less and I’m not sure I believe them. There is going to be pushback against mega solar farms displacing wildlife but rooftop solar and other land-conserving options don’t promise headline low prices. Remember Africa is going to add another billion people and they all want to raise their standard of living, India wants to follow in the footsteps of China, etc.

PaulHoule 3y ago

Popular support for nuclear energy is higher than you’d think after the Fukushima accident, people are aware there is a climate crisis going on. The light water reactor has two problems: (1) Russia is the only country that is really building them on a N-th of a kind basis, everybody else is building them so sporadically each is practically first of a kind. France was approaching where Russia is 30 years ago but they gave up, Korea wishes they were where Russia is but they are not, China wants to be where Russia is in ten years and maybe they will be. (This is the possibility of Russia endangering Zaphorisia NPP would be such an own goal.) (2) is that the economics are not great even if people could build NPPs without screwing up and it is not just the nuclear island but the heat exchangers, steam turbine and balance of systems. There is the hope that the parts of an LWR can be put together in some way at some scale that deletes some expensive systems, there is the most enthusiasm now for GE’s BWRX300, but you have to not only do that but push through the growing pains to get N-of-a-kind economics. Now it is not impossible that some other reactor type that runs at higher temperatures could lower the cost of heat handling but that’s not an easy route either since all kinds of practical problems involving materials and such need to be solved. On the other hand, the impact for the future of humanity could be priceless. It’s quite the problem that the U.S. gave up on the fast flux test facility and that we’ve lost 30+ years of progress we could have made on next generation reactors, there is serious talk of building all kinds of test reactor today that we should have been having 20 years ago.

nvrgngvup 3y ago
One way or other we would be moving away from gas. In your opinion which odd these scenarios is most likely: 1. Commercial and consumer market for solar 2. Commissioned NPPs 3. Something else
- PaulHoule 3y ago
  We need all of the above in large amounts. Solar and wind are promising but I think experiencing irrational exuberance. It takes about as long to build power lines as it does to build NPPs and it takes plenty of power lines to move energy from the richest areas to where the demand is. 20 years ago people assumed we’d need weeks worth of power storage to smooth demand, today the estimates are dramatically less and I’m not sure I believe them. There is going to be pushback against mega solar farms displacing wildlife but rooftop solar and other land-conserving options don’t promise headline low prices. Remember Africa is going to add another billion people and they all want to raise their standard of living, India wants to follow in the footsteps of China, etc.