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> Nuclear is absolutely necessary to complete the clean energy transition, but is it really an either-or with solar and wind? For energy we obviously need all
by petre 2y ago
> Nuclear is absolutely necessary to complete the clean energy transition, but is it really an either-or with solar and wind?
For energy we obviously need all the options available.
If a major volcano goes off up and darkens the sky with clouds and high winds make wind farms unsafe to operate, then nuclear is probably our only reliable power source left. It's not like there weren't multiple ice ages and warming events in the history of our planet.
There is a reason sailboats were obsoleted by the steam engine: it could tug forward in windless waters and stll make it fast enough to deliver the mail. The base load power station is the steam engine. The sailboat is the wind turbine or the PV array. Most of them need a gas fired power plant to compensate for windless or cloudy days, like newer sailboats need an engine. We could use a load following SMR in place of the gas fired plant.
- mistrial9 2y agowhich is why no sailboats exist today....
- petre 2y agoThey're mostly used for recreational sailing or racing and are also equipped with an engine (diesel or electric sail drive) for maneuvers and in case there's no wind. Sailing has also advanced a lot since the nineternth century, but commercial shipping is now done with bunker oil and diesel engines and was previously done with steamers.
- mistrial9 2y agojust one counter-example proves that statement wrong.
- asdf000333 2y agoThe above comment didn't say that sailboats don't exist.