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Cuba’s Unfinished Nuclear Power Station

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Re: Cuba’s Unfinished Nuclear Power Station

#61

Post by localplume »

paulluuk wrote: post #27
gfiorav wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US still invests heavily in defense, which props up STEM. I agree it was nicer when the goal was space though.

I'm not sure how military spending props up STEM exactly, but I do often hear people say that military spending is good for science because so many research advances have come from the military. But if you look at how much the US spends on military versus the scientific progress coming from the military (e.g. DARPA stuff), the yield is actually surprisingly low. At the very least we can probably agree that it's not a…

[dead]

Re: Cuba’s Unfinished Nuclear Power Station

#62

Post by gliptic »

illiarian wrote: post #48
2b3a51 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just a random idea: given the nature of Cuban society would neighbourhood or house level batteries be viable? Enough to store your electricity needs for (say) two or three days. So you can smooth out the day/night wind/calm cycles to some extent? Tangential: given the state of the structures in the OA is it really possible this facility can be completed without effectively rebuilding it?

> given the nature of Cuban society would neighbourhood or house level batteries be viable? Possibly maybe? You need 10kW per household per day with generous electricity consumption [1] Retail prices for 10kW batteries seem to be in the range of $5k to infinity. At scale this will be cheaper, but then the question then becomes the same: availability at this scale [1] https://solaremporium.com.au/blog/how-long-will-a-…

What's with this widespread confusion between kW and kWh, especially from supposed experts in solar power...

Re: Cuba’s Unfinished Nuclear Power Station

#63

Post by sbaiddn »

Paraphrased:

"I tried to bride the guard. But he refused. Probably because he'd already received a better bribe or was stealing. It only occurred to me later the possibility he might be honest. For a fleeting second, the thought crossed mg mind that I might be the criminal - but I shrugged it off and jumped over the fence and trespassed in."

This attitude is slathered with contempt and superiority. Its also quite common among travelers. We act aghast when our "tourists" are arrested and sentenced to decades of jail or execution for drugs or taking pictures of sensitive installations.

Good riddance! If you're unwilling to do the time obey the local laws or stay in your country!

Re: Cuba’s Unfinished Nuclear Power Station

#64

Post by _2d30 »

nivenkos wrote: post #17

Hopefully it will be finished one day. It's a shame how much the world has taken a step back with the collapse of the USSR and the rise of US unipolarity. The once-great Buran space shuttles lie derelict in Kazakhstan and Russia (not even in a museum!). The huge An-225 that took it to space has been destroyed in the Russia-Ukraine war. Investment in nuclear power has collapsed as projects like this show (and Germany'…

East vs West Germany seems to offer something akin to a natural experiment that suggests this view is largely incorrect.

Re: Cuba’s Unfinished Nuclear Power Station

#65

Post by dtgriscom »

nivenkos wrote: post #17

Hopefully it will be finished one day. It's a shame how much the world has taken a step back with the collapse of the USSR and the rise of US unipolarity. The once-great Buran space shuttles lie derelict in Kazakhstan and Russia (not even in a museum!). The huge An-225 that took it to space has been destroyed in the Russia-Ukraine war. Investment in nuclear power has collapsed as projects like this show (and Germany'…

> Hopefully it will be finished one day.

It won't. Decay, updated power plant designs, and changing component availability would make completing it more expensive than starting afresh.

Re: Cuba’s Unfinished Nuclear Power Station

#66

Post by hackandthink »

paulluuk wrote: post #27
gfiorav wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US still invests heavily in defense, which props up STEM. I agree it was nicer when the goal was space though.

I'm not sure how military spending props up STEM exactly, but I do often hear people say that military spending is good for science because so many research advances have come from the military. But if you look at how much the US spends on military versus the scientific progress coming from the military (e.g. DARPA stuff), the yield is actually surprisingly low. At the very least we can probably agree that it's not a…

It's nice that pure mathematics is funded, but it should not be funded by the army.

https://golem.ph.utexas.edu/category/2020/12/the_lie_of_its_...

My pet theory: the MIC buys goodwill and scares academics to criticize the MIC.

Re: Cuba’s Unfinished Nuclear Power Station

#67

Post by trollerator23 »

sbaiddn wrote: post #63

Paraphrased: "I tried to bride the guard. But he refused. Probably because he'd already received a better bribe or was stealing. It only occurred to me later the possibility he might be honest. For a fleeting second, the thought crossed mg mind that I might be the criminal - but I shrugged it off and jumped over the fence and trespassed in." This attitude is slathered with contempt and superiority. Its also quite com…

Yeah what the hell. F*k that guy.

Re: Cuba’s Unfinished Nuclear Power Station

#68

Post by ZeroGravitas »

illiarian wrote: post #36
pydry wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's 20% of the cost not 20% less. Matching solar and wind power with storage or peakers is still cheaper.

You're assuming this much storage exists. And I'd love to see all the calculations that include the need to overbuild, the need for storage etc.

This plan for Hawaii is probably roughly in the same ballpark:

https://www.wartsila.com/energy/towards-100-renewable-energy...

Re: Cuba’s Unfinished Nuclear Power Station

#69

Post by self_awareness »

Al-Khwarizmi wrote: post #16
self_awareness wrote: post #6

> > Minimum wage in Cuba runs at around $8 a month. Of course, the socialist nature of the country means that this isn’t quite as bad as it sounds – with free healthcare and education, along with state housing, and food rations [...] What an awful propaganda piece.

> and food rations that will almost keep hunger from the door Do you seriously think that's propaganda?

I know. I have access to "free" healthcare, "free" schooling, had contact with food rations, communism, so I actually know.

Just don't tell me that THAT wasn't real communism, because it felt real to me.

Re: Cuba’s Unfinished Nuclear Power Station

#70

Post by illiarian »

ZeroGravitas wrote: post #68
illiarian wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're assuming this much storage exists. And I'd love to see all the calculations that include the need to overbuild, the need for storage etc.

This plan for Hawaii is probably roughly in the same ballpark: https://www.wartsila.com/energy/towards-100-renewable-energy...

That is a "model" tat is very handwavy about a lot of things.

36% battery power capable of sustaining Hawaii for 11 hours. 4% is "flexible gas" from "carbon-neutral synthetic fuels" that will be produced using "excess renewable energy", etc.

No numbers except "flexible solution is 68% cheaper than just overbuilding renewables". "All technology options have been priced at their expected costs at year 2030."

These are not calculations. These are marketing materials for Wärtsilä

Edit:

There are some interesting things though. For example, if you click on solar, they show that you need 3.4x installed solar capacity compared to peak load. And (emphaisis mine): "Because the sun is only shining for part of the day, solar panels can on average over the whole day produce energy at maximum of around 25% of their installed capacity"

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