Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Nuclear Power Is the Answer to Global and Environmental Energy Woes

nationalinterest.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 568 posts

Re: Nuclear Power Is the Answer to Global and Environmental Energy Woes

#41

Post by illiarian »

Krasnol wrote: post #11
illiarian wrote: post #2

Relevant: "Germany's 66.5 GW of installed wind is only producing as much as the 3 reactors that turned off last night used to produce." https://twitter.com/energybants/status/1647799729734971396

Wind alone produces ~20% of the recent years electricity in Germany. Nuclear produced only half of that in recent years. The whole renewable energy production covers ~40% of all the energy produced. Despite 16 years of almost full stop of expansion. https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Branchen-Unternehmen/Energ...

> Wind alone produces ~20% of the recent years electricity in Germany.

Yearly production means nothing on the night when it produces single-digit percentages of its installed capacity, does it?

Re: Nuclear Power Is the Answer to Global and Environmental Energy Woes

#43

Post by CodeCompost »

eric-burel wrote: post #12

As a French not expert in the matter but living near nuclear plants: - one of the plant regularly leaks radioactive material - rivers are getting too hot to cool down nuclear plants correctly - nuclear plants are very unreliable, we almost got out of power this winter and next winter will be equally tough (only an abnormally hot winter avoid cuts...) - the government wants to simplify control organism and laws around…

Somebody I know who works for an emergy company talked to me about Thorium reactors that sounded very promising. I'm too dumb to explain it but it seemed cleaner and more efficient.

Re: Nuclear Power Is the Answer to Global and Environmental Energy Woes

#44

Post by illiarian »

Krasnol wrote: post #35
stuff4ben wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Soon you're going to run out of land for your renewables. Plus renewables are extremely intermittent power sources. Nuclear solves both the land-use and consistency problems. Plus, from the article: "...to build enough wind turbines and solar panels to supply at least half the electricity needed for global consumption 'would require two billions tons of coal to produce the concrete and steel, along with two billion b…

No we won't. There are plenty of studies on the topic. Those areas are there and already identified. Wind alone would just double to manage the Energiewende by 2050: https://www.naturschutz-energiewende.de/aktuelles/flaechenve... I don't get your other argument. If you push for renewables instead of wasting money on over due and over budget nuclear reactors, you can create an industry at home. Create massive amounts…

> If you push for renewables instead of wasting money on over due and over budget nuclear reactors

--- start quote ---

Ernst & Young (EY) has found that an average power and utility megaproject is delivered 35% over budget and two years behind schedule

Of the megaprojects surveyed, 64% were delayed and 57% were over budge. Almost three-quarters of hydropower, water, coal and nuclear infrastructure projects were over budget by 49% on average,

--- end quote ---

https://www.offshorewind.biz/2016/12/02/offshore-wind-projec...

"Data shows the avg. 50MW PV construction project delays cost $2M. The average solar construction project is delayed by about 20% with the consequences hovering around $2M in costs."

https://percepto.co/solar-construction-delays-budget-overrun...

Re: Nuclear Power Is the Answer to Global and Environmental Energy Woes

#45

Post by fuzzy2 »

I mean, certainly. Well, maybe not the answer, but whatever.

However, are we actually capable of building new reactors and managing their operation in the private sector? I’m not talking about possibly maybe here. Are we actually ready, today, to build a new reactor within reasonable time at reasonable cost? I don’t know, but my gut feeling says no. We cannot even build roads like that.

Furthermore, is operating these reactors economical? Current reactors are not. They externalize lots of cost factors.

Re: Nuclear Power Is the Answer to Global and Environmental Energy Woes

#47

Post by switchbak »

Krasnol wrote: post #35
stuff4ben wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Soon you're going to run out of land for your renewables. Plus renewables are extremely intermittent power sources. Nuclear solves both the land-use and consistency problems. Plus, from the article: "...to build enough wind turbines and solar panels to supply at least half the electricity needed for global consumption 'would require two billions tons of coal to produce the concrete and steel, along with two billion b…

No we won't. There are plenty of studies on the topic. Those areas are there and already identified. Wind alone would just double to manage the Energiewende by 2050: https://www.naturschutz-energiewende.de/aktuelles/flaechenve... I don't get your other argument. If you push for renewables instead of wasting money on over due and over budget nuclear reactors, you can create an industry at home. Create massive amounts…

So you chose to ignore his points re: the required fossil fuel inputs to create these clean renewable sources?

Re: Nuclear Power Is the Answer to Global and Environmental Energy Woes

#48

Post by ben_w »

stuff4ben wrote: post #22
Krasnol wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wind alone produces ~20% of the recent years electricity in Germany. Nuclear produced only half of that in recent years. The whole renewable energy production covers ~40% of all the energy produced. Despite 16 years of almost full stop of expansion. https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Branchen-Unternehmen/Energ...

Soon you're going to run out of land for your renewables. Plus renewables are extremely intermittent power sources. Nuclear solves both the land-use and consistency problems. Plus, from the article: "...to build enough wind turbines and solar panels to supply at least half the electricity needed for global consumption 'would require two billions tons of coal to produce the concrete and steel, along with two billion b…

> Soon you're going to run out of land for your renewables.

No, you won't.

> 'would require two billions tons of coal to produce the concrete and steel, along with two billion barrels of oil to make the composite blades. [And] more than 90% of the world’s solar panels are built in Asia on coal-heavy electrical grids.'

Fantastic! The world burns that much coal every three months, so after 6 months we could close all the mines and coal power plants, and thereafter all the future PV will be made by renewable powered grids.

Re: Nuclear Power Is the Answer to Global and Environmental Energy Woes

#49

Post by themagician »

rullelito wrote: post #40
themagician wrote: post #38

My 2¢: We live in a world where all work goes to the lowest bidder and people will always cut corners if they believe the liability won't fall on them. The entire world could be safely powered off nuclear energy if it wasn't for pesky humans that will always lie, cheat, and steal from each other. Given that human greed is unavoidable and a nuclear accident can pollute an area for 10,000 years it's probably best to re…

An alternative to emotional arguments is to look at the statistics.

When you actually look at the statistics around large infrastructure projects the results are not comforting. Corners are always cut. Maintenance delayed. Just the "cost of doing business". Trust in both governments and large corporations is not exactly at an all time high. People know that companies will throw radioactive waste and scrap materials into the rivers if they can get away with it.

Conversely, the emotional argument is the only one that brings nuclear power back. You must convince people that these projects can be done safely. You must convince people that, "This time will be different."

Look at what just happened in Germany. Or don't.

Re: Nuclear Power Is the Answer to Global and Environmental Energy Woes

#50

Post by lispm »

illiarian wrote: post #41
Krasnol wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wind alone produces ~20% of the recent years electricity in Germany. Nuclear produced only half of that in recent years. The whole renewable energy production covers ~40% of all the energy produced. Despite 16 years of almost full stop of expansion. https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Branchen-Unternehmen/Energ...

> Wind alone produces ~20% of the recent years electricity in Germany. Yearly production means nothing on the night when it produces single-digit percentages of its installed capacity, does it?

We can import electricity from the European grids we are connected to.

For example my region has recently brought up a 1.4 GW HVDC underwater cable, which can be used in both directions. It connects North Germany to Hydro power in Norway.

Post reply on HN