this post was submitted on 28 Jan 2024
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[–] reddig33 22 points 9 months ago (3 children)

You could install solar panels on five million homes for that amount of money.

[–] JackOfNoTrades 9 points 9 months ago

The UK doesn't have great solar energy potential because of the high latitude and general lack of sun. Wind is much more practical in this country however like solar it provides it's a non-stable energy source. To have a stable energy grid you ideally want a mix of stable and non-stable sources or non-stable sources and large battery storage facilities.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

But that would solve something. And that's not wanted.

So instead we will lament ballooning costs and build times for nuclear and invent narratives how that's totally not caused by nuclear being a shitty alternative to renewables and storage.

This way we can spend another few decades on building a none-solution while just accidently also having sunk so much money already that changing to an actual solution doesn't make sense anymore.

Oh, sorry. Were we expected to stop burning fossil fuels? Doesn't seem to work for some reason, but don't worry. Building nuclear will totally solve this. Any decade now... (And no, we totally did not build to little anyway, just to make sure it will never solve anything even if the unimaginable happens and build times and costs become manageable...)

[–] IchNichtenLichten 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

My favorite is when they try and blame environmentalists for giving nuclear a bad rep and that's why more nuclear isn't being built. As if those making the decisions care about what environmentalists think.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago

To fair, there are these so-called "environmentalists" fighting nuclear... in their breaks between protesting wind turbines and solar panels. And who actually finances those is not exactly secret.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

But... but... but muh baseload!

[–] Womble 3 points 9 months ago

UK is about the worst possible populated place for solar there is. Its incredibly cloudy, very high latitude (the southern tip of it is north of of Winnipeg) and has higher energy demand in the winter when days get down to ~6 hours of daylight.

Wind is by far the more practical renewable energy here.