this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2023
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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If we started building nuclear powerplants right now it would take 10-20 years before they're even online. That's 10-20 years worth of technology improvements that could make it obsolete, especially if we don't pin our hopes on nuclear baseload and start building a grid that can be 100% renewable.

And that's not even mentioning the truly massive budget overruns. Or the environmental impact of mining and refining fuel.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And you would be running 10-20 years of gas and coal power plants in addition to the renewables if you're not in a suitable area for hydro because suitable grid scale energy storage solutions literally don't exist. Maybe they will in 10-20 years, but would you bet on a maybe or go with nuclear which we know will work as a baseload?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Considering nuclear plants consistently go tremendously over budget, budget that could be used on renewables, and how quickly renewables are improving, I would take that bet in a heartbeat.

For reference, here's a graph comparing the cost per megawatt hour over cost per installed capacity from 2010-2019. Solar is now 1/5th what it was 10 years ago, onshore wind is half, and offshore wind is down by 25%.

The cost of nuclear power in that time has increased by more than 50%.

I would much rather invest in something that's showing improvements in cost and technology than Cold War white elephants.