leonidasrup7 hours ago
All this new scalable renewable energy sources such as solar and wind (biomass is not scalable and hydro, geothermal depend on geology) are not cheap enough to compete with fossil fuels for industrial applications. Energy not electricity. 1 GJ of heat from coal is still cheaper than 1 GJ of electicity from solar, especially when needed 24/7.
There many countries in the global south with large populations which want to grow and don't have enough energy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_energy_co...
We need very cheap nuclear power not only for electricity, but also for heating, water desalination, hydrogen production, CO2 capture.
kevin0614 hours ago
Nuclear is indeed the answer. Nuclear power is incredibly safe nowadays and it also provides kinetic inertia, something that solar and wind power lack (they are all DC based and only produce AC when using an inverter, which is wasteful too).
Unfortunately I think it's already too late for nuclear. People who don't understand energy grids are voting for anti-nuclear policies, with very predictable results.
hdgvhicv6 hours ago
Nuclear costs far more per kWh than solar/Wind plus storage
Yes we need lots more electric. Nuclear isn’t the answer.
leonidasrup3 hours ago
Lets look at price of thermal coal in China
https://www.sunsirs.com/uk/prodetail-369.html
830 RMB/ton for a coal with calorific value: 5500 kcal/kg
This gives thermal cost of heat 5 USD/GJ .
"The Middle East and Africa achieved the lowest levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) among regions in 2025, with an LCOE of US$37/MWh, while the LCOE of utility-scale solar PV in China reached US$27/MWh."
https://www.pv-tech.org/solar-pv-retains-most-competitive-lc...
Solar US$27/MWh can be converted to 7,5 USD/GJ.
How much changes the cost when you have industrial application which needs energy 24/7 ?
citrin_ru4 hours ago
Nuclear is an answer along with other sources. Opposition to nuclear by the Green Party in the UK is a self-sabotage IMHO. They may argue how limited government subsidies should be allocated but outright opposition to nuclear energy is just stupid to me.
znpy3 hours ago
Maybe at some point we’ll all pull our collective head out of our collective ass and will start going all in on nuclear (along side solar and wind power).
It will still be late, but better late than never.
pjmlp4 hours ago
Yes, and all the paper straws in the world isn't going to save it, between wars, attacks on critical infrastructure and AI overlords.
antibull8 hours ago
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aaron6957 hours ago
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