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"Europe" is not a country. France finished it's nuclear build-out decades ago. It's still got issues, but the matter is sorted. The UK is adding scads of wind

"Europe" is not a country. France finished it's nuclear build-out decades ago. It's still got issues, but the matter is sorted. The UK is adding scads of wind power every day. Ditto for Spain, only with solar. Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Finland have mix of hydro, nuclear, and renewables. Yes, Germany is screwing the pooch on this one. Most places east of Germany isn't doing much better. But their failure is theirs, and not their Western and Northern neighbours.

robertlagrant 3y ago
The wind power over here is nice, but hopefully the nuclear gets rolling[0]. [0] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61010605 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61010605
- xnorswap 3y ago
  Unfortunately, "UK Plans..." has become statements for the purpose of electioneering rather than serious intent. See also the list of announced projects that mere days later had to said to be "illustrative": https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/09/list-of-projects-to-be-funded-by-hs2-money-only-illustrative-sunak-says https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/09/list-of-proj...
throwaway50182 3y ago
The western neighbours have outsized influence on EU policy compared to the east, of course they have to take part of the blame. EU energy policy made visible changes on the markets and landscape of the eastern republics - and the people here hate the EU for it. For example, it created a whole class of "solar barons" who used the EU regulation to get free money that now everyone has to pay for, and for the necessary energy storage that the "barons" are not on the hook for. The population here would've preferred to go nuclear, but EU forced it to support this instead.
- dukeyukey 3y ago
  Specifically what EU policies that the more renewable-and-nuclear friendly countries voted for do you have in mind?
  - throwaway50182 3y ago
    The EU green deal was specifically anti-nuclear until very recently. What I'm talking about started in 2008 and finished around 2012 (though we're going to be paying for it for many decades).
    - dukeyukey 3y ago
      Yes, it was made pro-nuclear under pressure from France. But even before then, the only countries with more nuclear power than the EU (that aren't also in the EU) are Ukraine (which is on the European grid), Switzerland (also on the European grid), Armenia and South Korea. Europe's revealed preferences makes it the most pro-nuclear region in the world, by far.
      - throwaway50182 3y ago
        Wut? Their anti-nuclear policy reveals them as pro-nuclear? What new nuclear was built during the last 2 decades, before they had to change the anti-nuclear policy? The population is pro-nuclear, sure. But the policy was set by the anti-nuclear supporters of the green deal and we had to wait for many years until reality forced them to accept nuclear.
        dukeyukey 3y ago
        Again, the energy policy of Europe has resulted in them having more nuclear than anywhere else in the world, besides South Korea. Everything you say about Europe as a whole being anti-nuclear is more applicable to almost every other country globally. Because Europe has more nuclear than basically everywhere else. > What new nuclear was built during the last 2 decades More than the US, believe it or not. Between new reactors in Finland, France, and Slovakia, around 3,700 MWe versus the US at around 2,200 MWe from reactors in Tennessee and Georgia. I'm not saying energy policy has been good in EUrope over the last 2 decades, but it's not been uniquely worse than the rest of the Western world.
thedrbrian 3y ago
>The UK is adding scads of wind power every day. Yeah about that wind https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/08/what-went-wrong-at-uk-governments-offshore-wind-auction https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/08/what-wen... Surely if the generation is so cheap why won't anyone commit to more turbines?
- dukeyukey 3y ago
  It says right there in the article - costs went up for turbines operators, and the government didn't change the amount they'd pay. It's hard to miss. Worth seeing contracts for onshore wind went fast though.

robertlagrant 3y ago

The wind power over here is nice, but hopefully the nuclear gets rolling[0]. [0] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61010605 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61010605

xnorswap 3y ago
Unfortunately, "UK Plans..." has become statements for the purpose of electioneering rather than serious intent. See also the list of announced projects that mere days later had to said to be "illustrative": https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/09/list-of-projects-to-be-funded-by-hs2-money-only-illustrative-sunak-says https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/09/list-of-proj...

throwaway50182 3y ago

The western neighbours have outsized influence on EU policy compared to the east, of course they have to take part of the blame. EU energy policy made visible changes on the markets and landscape of the eastern republics - and the people here hate the EU for it. For example, it created a whole class of "solar barons" who used the EU regulation to get free money that now everyone has to pay for, and for the necessary energy storage that the "barons" are not on the hook for. The population here would've preferred to go nuclear, but EU forced it to support this instead.

dukeyukey 3y ago
Specifically what EU policies that the more renewable-and-nuclear friendly countries voted for do you have in mind?
- throwaway50182 3y ago
  The EU green deal was specifically anti-nuclear until very recently. What I'm talking about started in 2008 and finished around 2012 (though we're going to be paying for it for many decades).
  - dukeyukey 3y ago
    Yes, it was made pro-nuclear under pressure from France. But even before then, the only countries with more nuclear power than the EU (that aren't also in the EU) are Ukraine (which is on the European grid), Switzerland (also on the European grid), Armenia and South Korea. Europe's revealed preferences makes it the most pro-nuclear region in the world, by far.
    - throwaway50182 3y ago
      Wut? Their anti-nuclear policy reveals them as pro-nuclear? What new nuclear was built during the last 2 decades, before they had to change the anti-nuclear policy? The population is pro-nuclear, sure. But the policy was set by the anti-nuclear supporters of the green deal and we had to wait for many years until reality forced them to accept nuclear.
      - dukeyukey 3y ago
        Again, the energy policy of Europe has resulted in them having more nuclear than anywhere else in the world, besides South Korea. Everything you say about Europe as a whole being anti-nuclear is more applicable to almost every other country globally. Because Europe has more nuclear than basically everywhere else. > What new nuclear was built during the last 2 decades More than the US, believe it or not. Between new reactors in Finland, France, and Slovakia, around 3,700 MWe versus the US at around 2,200 MWe from reactors in Tennessee and Georgia. I'm not saying energy policy has been good in EUrope over the last 2 decades, but it's not been uniquely worse than the rest of the Western world.

thedrbrian 3y ago

>The UK is adding scads of wind power every day. Yeah about that wind https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/08/what-went-wrong-at-uk-governments-offshore-wind-auction https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/08/what-wen... Surely if the generation is so cheap why won't anyone commit to more turbines?

dukeyukey 3y ago
It says right there in the article - costs went up for turbines operators, and the government didn't change the amount they'd pay. It's hard to miss. Worth seeing contracts for onshore wind went fast though.