On 19/05/2021 08:23, Pancho wrote:
On 18/05/2021 19:36, Theo wrote:
Steve Walker wrote:
We should have built more baseload power stations - particular nuclear.

That ship sailed 10+ years ago.Â* For the one we are building, the
wholesale
price per unit is roughly double that of renewables ( in normal
conditions)
so it's going to need subsidy to sell its power.Â* It's not cheap baseload
it's expensive baseload.


I doubt that your figures are true.

If you cherry pick 'cost' and ignore subsidy, they are probably true for
something.

I refer you to your electricity bill and the baseline wholesale costs of
existing nuclear hydro coal and gas (around 4p a unit) new nuclear (9.8p
a unit)

In reality wind is 12p a unit plus about 3p for intermittent balancing,
and solar is up in the 30-40p range.

That doesnt factor in the grid upgrades needed to e.g. balance Scottish
generation with English consumption...

We need to factor in reliability of supply. It also does not address
that the cost of renewables (we mean wind) will go up as the best sites
are taken. Getting to 3 times current electricity generation, needed for
heat and transport, will be hard with wind.

On the other hand we could do it with Nuclear and we would expect
Nuclear costs to come down with economies of scale. The problem with
Nuclear is that it is upfront cost and has to fight bull**** and
"something will turn up" arguments. Something may turn up, but I think
it is very rash to rely on it.

The upfront costs of nuclear are two thirds in meeting *regulations*
that often have no impact on safety whatsoever.

This is why there is a drive for SMRs - type approved, factory built, no
complex onsite construction requiring massive inspection , form filling
and box ticking regimes. And small enough to be passive cooled under
SCRAM conditions - no meltdowns.

The technology is not as efficient as as big reactor, but the paperwork
and safety systems are massively reduced.





--
"And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch".

Gospel of St. Mathew 15:14