There is a discussion on Hacker News, but feel free to comment here as well.
Renewable + storage on the scale we need is not cheaper. And nuclear wont’ be too late. Or we’re already too late even for renewable at this point.
There is exactly one study that says nuclear is too costly, and it’s very much propaganda because it ignores most of history of building nuclear power plant and it discards some important sources about the subject because they’re deemed not objective enough, which is quite hilarious to read.
Horizon for going into production of a NPP is at least a decade, more likely two. By that time storage techniques and renewable prduction will be able to cope handsomely and at a lower price, so yes, too late. And yes we are much too late in reducing carbon output (output is still growing) and capturing greenhouse gasses is miles away from being relevant to cooling the planet.
Influx reduction is our best bet and it will have to happen quickly or this planet is going to be hard to live on.
Nuclear is not the future or even the present.
The mean time to build a nuclear power plant is 7 years. France was able to build 60 reactors in 30 years, some of which in 5 years. That’s something that was done, that history proves we can do it, and we can probably do even better.
Meanwhile there isn’t enough lithium production in the world to do the same for renewables.
Propaganda is only propaganda. When ecofasfists will start to actually fight for the climate rather than for their fantasies, everyone will win.
From plan to production is not 7 years, just the building itself. Especially not now that cooling capabilities are disappearing (many of those French installations had to reduce output significantly due to the heat wave this year.) This will mean it will cost much longer to get these installations okayed and their usefulness is further limited.
Calling me an ecofacist also means this is the end of the line of this “discusssion”. Have fun in your alternate reality.