• frezik@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        Except we have better options than we did 10 years ago.

        I’d be all for nuclear if we rolled back the clock to 2010 or so. As it stands, solar/wind/storage/hvdc lines can do the job. The situation moved and my opinion moved.

      • deegeese@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        If you start building a new nuclear plant today, it’ll start generating power around the year 2045, by which time renewables with storage will have gotten even cheaper.

        Bet you the public will be on the hook to pay for that white elephant because utility companies privatize profits and socialize losses.

    • Lmaydev@programming.dev
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      24
      arrow-down
      19
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      We’re reaching the point where discussing cost in regard to the energy crisis makes us look like fucking idiots.

      Imagine what kids reading the history books are going to think of these discussions.

      And 10 years isn’t that long really. If someone said we could use no fossil fuels in energy generation in 10 years time that doesn’t sound long at all.

      • mormund@feddit.de
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        34
        arrow-down
        6
        ·
        1 year ago

        Cost is a proxy for productivity and resources. So while it is stupid to say that the energy transition is too expensive, shouldn’t we rather invest our productivity and resources into a faster and cheaper solution? Drawing focus away from renewables is dangerous as others have mentioned, because it is too late to reach our goals with nuclear.

        • Lmaydev@programming.dev
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          9
          arrow-down
          9
          ·
          1 year ago

          No I don’t think so. Nuclear is super effective and consistent, especially for large setups.

          Using renewables while we get our nuclear up makes complete sense. And subsidising nuclear with renewables after that also makes sense.

          But the technology to rely entirely on renewables isn’t really there either.

              • Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                3
                arrow-down
                3
                ·
                1 year ago

                Which part specifically do you take issue with? It’s a bounded timeframe with over 60 references. We’re already 4 years into their predicted trends and on track so it seems like they are into something.

                  • Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    5
                    ·
                    1 year ago

                    Thank you, appreciate you showing specifically what your issue is. I agree the timeline for the battery costs hasn’t worked out exactly because of some anomalies over the last year or two but the trend is sharply down again. So it seems like we are on track to achieve a cost of around $90 by 2025 now rather than 2024 at least according to Goldman Sachs.

                    If your issue is with the exact timeline, I say that’s fair enough, but being off by a year with battery costs isn’t too bad I don’t think. Of course as with all forecasting we’ll have to see exactly how it pans out in reality but it’s a pretty big risk if you want to start building a nuclear reactor now, factoring in construction time plus payback period.