• ByteJunk@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    35
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    6 months ago

    This.

    Also, tie together more countries’ power grids to even out production and demand of renewables, and reduce the need for other backup sources.

    For a fraction of the cost of nuclear, increase the storage capacity as well. We’ve had days where the price per MWh was negative in many hours, because of excess production.

    The barriers to carbon free energy aren’t technical, they’re purely political.

    • Caveman@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      19
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      6 months ago

      Yeah, back in 2010 and before nuclear was the way to go but with the incredible advancements in solar and wind it’s no longer the best option.

      Still shame on Germany for decommissioning nuclear reactors and deciding to build Nordstream 2 and burn coal as a replacement.

      • cqst [she/her]@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        6 months ago

        with the incredible advancements in solar and wind it’s no longer the best option.

        I haven’t heard of any advancement that makes solar generate energy when the sun doesn’t shine and wind generate energy when the wind isn’t blowing.

        • oo1@lemmings.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          6 months ago

          it has got cheaper, but it has to get cheap enough that you can buy enough batteries with the difference. I’m not sure it has become that cheap. Maybe these sodium battery things will get developed.

              • fellowmortal@lemmy.dbzer0.com
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                0
                ·
                6 months ago

                No, there is pumped storage. Honestly, despite the plethora of start-ups claiming to have a solution (sodium batteries, molten-salt, etc) The only really proven way to store electricity for later is pumped storage, but that relies on geography (hills) which not everyone has. Batteries are great for phones, and cars but they simply don’t scale to countries.

      • partizan@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        6 months ago

        You probably also didnt heard about Thorium based molten salt reactors, they are much safer than conventional nuclear, also cheaper, and you can have a 50MW installation in space not much larger than a shipping container. A 50MW solar installation is close to 1km2 and thats without any storage included. It even can be modified to run on spent fuel of conventional nuclear power plants.

        • vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          6 months ago

          SMRs are DOA. They have been “the next big thing” for decades now. They need to shit or get off the pot.

        • sandbox@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          6 months ago

          No industry has quite so much vaporware technology as nuclear power. Any idiot can promise and never deliver. Look at Elon Musk.

    • fellowmortal@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      6 months ago

      Please understand that negative prices are the market for electricity breaking down! That is not a good thing. It should mean that if you have solar panels on your roof you have to pay to participate in the national grid because you are dumping energy into the grid when it can’t use it, but special rules have been made for renewable plants. Literally, imagine a contract-to-supply for wind or solar…

      • ByteJunk@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        6 months ago

        I understand very well the implications of the negative price, which is why I advocated NOT to spend trillions in nuclear, when issues of balancing demand and production can be solved for a fraction of what nuclear costs.