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> US deploys nuclear energy at over $10/watt meanwhile solar and wind are deployed around $2/watt (for levelized cost of electricity) That's when storage is no

by cyberax 11mo ago

> US deploys nuclear energy at over $10/watt meanwhile solar and wind are deployed around $2/watt (for levelized cost of electricity) That's when storage is not considered. Once storage is factored in, the LCOE becomes anywhere between $5 to $20. In the US, solar makes a lot of sense in the southern states, less sense in Midwest and WA. That being said, the US still has plenty of capacity to accommodate more "sewer grade" (no battery backup) solar generation. It will provide easy CO2 savings and it can work well with flexible power consumers (AI training datacenters).

toomuchtodo 11mo ago
This administration won't last long enough to see any of these nuclear ambitions to any sort of success (its takes at least a decade to build nuclear generators in the developed world). Words are cheap, and regime change is coming. Solar and battery storage is already the cheapest form of generation in most of the world, and will only continue to decline in price, while the US will continue to face system and labor challenges precluding the large scale construction of commercial nuclear. The US currently doesn't have enough labor to build residential construction and naval vessels, so it will be interesting to see where they attempt to source this labor from (assuming the usual labor pipeline challenges where it takes up to half a decade to turn a human into a skilled tradesperson from an apprentice or other form of beginner). Citations: https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/solar-electricity-every-hour-of-every-day-is-here-and-it-changes-everything/ https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/solar-electricity-e... https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/batteries-now-cheap-enough-to-deliver-solar-when-it-is-needed/ https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/batteries-now-cheap-... https://www.agc.org/news/2025/08/28/construction-workforce-shortages-are-leading-cause-project-delays-immigration-enforcement-affects https://www.agc.org/news/2025/08/28/construction-workforce-s... https://www.nahb.org/blog/2025/10/hbi-labor-market-report https://www.nahb.org/blog/2025/10/hbi-labor-market-report https://www.slashgear.com/2034405/us-navy-warship-building-worker-shortage/ https://www.slashgear.com/2034405/us-navy-warship-building-w...
gardncl 11mo ago
That is not correct, and doesn't even pass the sniff test. Solar is deployed at ~$2/watt and you're saying batteries are increasing that cost 2.5x to 10x? So, someone installing a home battery system is paying up to 10x their solar install cost to also have battery backup? No way. Also, battery tech continues to improve rapidly, we're seeing breakthroughs like this rapidly reduce the price: https://spectrum.ieee.org/co2-battery-energy-storage https://spectrum.ieee.org/co2-battery-energy-storage A good video on LCOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-891blV02c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-891blV02c
- coryrc 11mo ago
  As usual, explain how you're going to power heat pumps in the Northern half of the country during a 3 week bomb cyclone. There are answers and they cost money. The only answer we're using is to build 1:1 natural gas capability for solar, which is roughly double the cost. That's a solution, but it needs to be accounted for when comparing options.
  - osn9363739 11mo ago
    Couldn't this also be solved with transmission from other parts of the country? or is that what you're saying?
    - coryrc 11mo ago
      Yes, but you have to pay for a line you don't plan to use much, so its capital costs should be attributed to the generation method requiring it. Which is fine, but not including it is dishonest about the true costs.
      - osn9363739 11mo ago
        I think if you designed and built it with the idea in mind that you're building your renewables in the sunny/windy centre/south of the US to be transported to a these places all year round it's a better idea than it being a backup. But I agree that the cost of over generation should be factored in to comparison pricing. But I also think we don't include enough of the costs in FF infra either.

by cyberax 11mo ago

toomuchtodo 11mo ago

This administration won't last long enough to see any of these nuclear ambitions to any sort of success (its takes at least a decade to build nuclear generators in the developed world). Words are cheap, and regime change is coming. Solar and battery storage is already the cheapest form of generation in most of the world, and will only continue to decline in price, while the US will continue to face system and labor challenges precluding the large scale construction of commercial nuclear. The US currently doesn't have enough labor to build residential construction and naval vessels, so it will be interesting to see where they attempt to source this labor from (assuming the usual labor pipeline challenges where it takes up to half a decade to turn a human into a skilled tradesperson from an apprentice or other form of beginner). Citations: https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/solar-electricity-every-hour-of-every-day-is-here-and-it-changes-everything/ https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/solar-electricity-e... https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/batteries-now-cheap-enough-to-deliver-solar-when-it-is-needed/ https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/batteries-now-cheap-... https://www.agc.org/news/2025/08/28/construction-workforce-shortages-are-leading-cause-project-delays-immigration-enforcement-affects https://www.agc.org/news/2025/08/28/construction-workforce-s... https://www.nahb.org/blog/2025/10/hbi-labor-market-report https://www.nahb.org/blog/2025/10/hbi-labor-market-report https://www.slashgear.com/2034405/us-navy-warship-building-worker-shortage/ https://www.slashgear.com/2034405/us-navy-warship-building-w...

gardncl 11mo ago

That is not correct, and doesn't even pass the sniff test. Solar is deployed at ~$2/watt and you're saying batteries are increasing that cost 2.5x to 10x? So, someone installing a home battery system is paying up to 10x their solar install cost to also have battery backup? No way. Also, battery tech continues to improve rapidly, we're seeing breakthroughs like this rapidly reduce the price: https://spectrum.ieee.org/co2-battery-energy-storage https://spectrum.ieee.org/co2-battery-energy-storage A good video on LCOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-891blV02c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-891blV02c

coryrc 11mo ago
As usual, explain how you're going to power heat pumps in the Northern half of the country during a 3 week bomb cyclone. There are answers and they cost money. The only answer we're using is to build 1:1 natural gas capability for solar, which is roughly double the cost. That's a solution, but it needs to be accounted for when comparing options.
- osn9363739 11mo ago
  Couldn't this also be solved with transmission from other parts of the country? or is that what you're saying?
  - coryrc 11mo ago
    Yes, but you have to pay for a line you don't plan to use much, so its capital costs should be attributed to the generation method requiring it. Which is fine, but not including it is dishonest about the true costs.
    - osn9363739 11mo ago
      I think if you designed and built it with the idea in mind that you're building your renewables in the sunny/windy centre/south of the US to be transported to a these places all year round it's a better idea than it being a backup. But I agree that the cost of over generation should be factored in to comparison pricing. But I also think we don't include enough of the costs in FF infra either.