Vietnam Going Solar After Nuclear Power Plants Shelved • Hacker News Board

Re: Vietnam Going Solar After Nuclear Power Plants Shelved

#11

Post by akuji1993 » Mon, Aug 20, 2018, 9:41 AM UTC

MyticMoon wrote: post #7

realusername wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah that's what I got from the article. > Currently solar power only accounts for 0.01 per cent of total power generation capacity in Vietnam, but the government plans to increase the ratio to 3.3 per cent by 2030 and 20 per cent by 2050. This is not very impressive, they plan to add 3.3% solar in the next 12 years, I don't find that revolutionary at the moment.

having them moved away from that nuclear power plant is a big relief for Vietnamese people already. This is still a huge leap, I would say. Basically, they are just following what China is doing (slowly) so if renewable energy could make a huge impact in China, they might accelerate the program.

Also we shouldn't forget we're talking about Vietnam. A country that is expected to follow slower (because it's not technologically advanced like some European countries or North America). Them having any kind of goal is a good sign, even though it might not be very ambitious in our understanding. Goals can be adjusted.

Re: Vietnam Going Solar After Nuclear Power Plants Shelved

#12

Post by baybal2 » Mon, Aug 20, 2018, 9:51 AM UTC

Nuclear is too expensive, and small nuclear is even more so, but one has to remember that nothing can replace atomic energy as the closest one to ideal, flawless power source.

Re: Vietnam Going Solar After Nuclear Power Plants Shelved

#13

Post by Brakenshire » Mon, Aug 20, 2018, 9:59 AM UTC

ForHackernews wrote: post #10

radicalbyte wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We (the west) should be strongly encouraging this in developing countries. We have the money, we have the instruments, all we need is the will. The US put men on the moon using 1960's technology and brought them back alive. Switching the world to 100% carbon neutral energy production should be more than achievable.

There's no political or economic will. It won't happen.

It all depends on economics, people will switch if the new technologies are cheaper, or if they face tariffs for not doing their part.

Re: Vietnam Going Solar After Nuclear Power Plants Shelved

#14

Post by adrianN » Mon, Aug 20, 2018, 10:00 AM UTC

akuji1993 wrote: post #11

MyticMoon wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

having them moved away from that nuclear power plant is a big relief for Vietnamese people already. This is still a huge leap, I would say. Basically, they are just following what China is doing (slowly) so if renewable energy could make a huge impact in China, they might accelerate the program.

Also we shouldn't forget we're talking about Vietnam. A country that is expected to follow slower (because it's not technologically advanced like some European countries or North America). Them having any kind of goal is a good sign, even though it might not be very ambitious in our understanding. Goals can be adjusted.

Actually I'd expect developing nations to be the first in adopting a clean energy grid. They have massively rising demand, so they're building new power plants all the time and don't have vested interests trying to milk every penny out of old coal plants. They also benefit from technological advances that countries with aging power infrastructure can't take advantage of. It's not like they're forced to re-live the industrial revolution like it happened in Europe. It's perfectly possible to leapfrog to carbon neutral solutions.

Re: Vietnam Going Solar After Nuclear Power Plants Shelved

#15

Post by pjc50 » Mon, Aug 20, 2018, 10:00 AM UTC

The incremental roll-out possible with solar, and the simpler project management, give it a huge advantage.

The coal roll-out is alarming but as soon as it was pointed out that Vietnam has large coal reserves it was unsurprising. This is where the richer nations need to step up and find a way to pay to leave resources in the ground rather than extracting them. It's the cheapest form of "carbon capture".

Re: Vietnam Going Solar After Nuclear Power Plants Shelved

#16

Post by pastullo » Mon, Aug 20, 2018, 10:19 AM UTC

i'm sad to see a decline of nuclear energy everywhere in the world. While renewables are the end goal, nuclear was gonna be the perfect transition source for the next decades, providing emission-free and continuous energy to the grid.

I have the bad feeling that cancelling a nuclear power plant, means building coal/gas plants in its place. This article actually mention the renewaleble goal of Vietnam which are really unimpressive. 3.3% solar inputs by 2030...WOW, in the mean time how are they gonna keep up with the energy requirements of a developing country? Probably coal.

Re: Vietnam Going Solar After Nuclear Power Plants Shelved

#17

Post by akuji1993 » Mon, Aug 20, 2018, 10:23 AM UTC

adrianN wrote: post #14

akuji1993 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also we shouldn't forget we're talking about Vietnam. A country that is expected to follow slower (because it's not technologically advanced like some European countries or North America). Them having any kind of goal is a good sign, even though it might not be very ambitious in our understanding. Goals can be adjusted.

Actually I'd expect developing nations to be the first in adopting a clean energy grid. They have massively rising demand, so they're building new power plants all the time and don't have vested interests trying to milk every penny out of old coal plants. They also benefit from technological advances that countries with aging power infrastructure can't take advantage of. It's not like they're forced to re-live the in…

You're absolutely correct, I didn't really think about that.

Re: Vietnam Going Solar After Nuclear Power Plants Shelved

#18

Post by rjmunro » Mon, Aug 20, 2018, 10:24 AM UTC

How are they going to balance supply from solar (which peaks at midday, and goes away entirely at night) with demand (which usually peaks in the evening)?

Re: Vietnam Going Solar After Nuclear Power Plants Shelved

#19

Post by coconut_crab » Mon, Aug 20, 2018, 10:29 AM UTC

pastullo wrote: post #16

i'm sad to see a decline of nuclear energy everywhere in the world. While renewables are the end goal, nuclear was gonna be the perfect transition source for the next decades, providing emission-free and continuous energy to the grid. I have the bad feeling that cancelling a nuclear power plant, means building coal/gas plants in its place. This article actually mention the renewaleble goal of Vietnam which are really…

Coal it is, the planned nuclear reactor could provide 4000 MW with 10 billions dollar construction cost. It was too pricy so the plan was shelved and replaced with... 3 coal powered power plants instead. The coal will be imported from other countries, hopefully they will be as clean as President Trump said /s.

Re: Vietnam Going Solar After Nuclear Power Plants Shelved

#20

Post by masklinn » Mon, Aug 20, 2018, 10:34 AM UTC

pastullo wrote: post #16

i'm sad to see a decline of nuclear energy everywhere in the world. While renewables are the end goal, nuclear was gonna be the perfect transition source for the next decades, providing emission-free and continuous energy to the grid. I have the bad feeling that cancelling a nuclear power plant, means building coal/gas plants in its place. This article actually mention the renewaleble goal of Vietnam which are really…

It already means manufacturers get less experience building nuclear plants, and it's much harder to de-king the building process of new designs. We've been feeling those effects for the last decade or, Gen IIIs are manufacturing disaster due to the combination of the ongoing popularity of Gen IIs and the dearth of new constructions in the 80s/90s.