• zagaberoo@lemmy.sdf.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    27
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    Pretending that the baseload problem is solved for solar and wind doesn’t help anybody. “batteries work”, but not at the scale of the demands of a power utility when wind and solar happen not to be producing.

    • zik@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      But it is essentially solved. There are plenty of places in the world that use a variety of power sources including a large mix of renewables without needing nuclear. And they work just fine. I’m surprised that so many people here seem to be ignoring the reality that nuclear is unnecessary and very expensive compared with other power sources.

      For example South Australia uses mostly renewable energy sources today - primarily solar and wind with some in-fill from battery and gas. The last coal plant there was closed in 2016. There’s no nuclear power in Australia.

        • zik@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          They’re using less and less all the time as they add additional renewables into the mix. Within a few years it’ll be approximatrely zero gas.

      • zagaberoo@lemmy.sdf.org
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Talk to me when it’s all battery and no gas. That’s what nuclear would be replacing, not the renewables. Nuclear and solar/wind complement each other.

    • Q ⠀@aussie.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      New nuclear installations will take 10 years and more. They will cost more then anyone is willing to pay. The math is clear, batteries and renewables like geo heat pumps, solar and wind are dead cheap in comparison.

      Energy conservation is still the main goal.

      Nuclear energy is the false promises that let us believe we can continue as we were.