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Old 11-10-2018, 10:05 AM   #2 (permalink)
kach22i
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RustyLugNut View Post
It is a political and economic reality that the renewable portfolio must have a baseline source.

The choice of baseline power via nuclear generation makes too much sense for the environment and for the wallet.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michael...l#565a9c917646
Guess where cell phones were first implemented as the primary source of communication.

Guess where solar panels became the primary source of electric power.

If you guesses rural Africa, you may be right (based on what I know).

Northeast blackout of 2003
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northe...ackout_of_2003

The infrastructure in North America is aging and that includes the electrical power grid. No government or administration seems interested in investing long term into it, as short sighted immediate gratification is a hallmark of our current culture (ie tax breaks today, debt tomorrow).

As pointed out in countless article today's energy grid does not have the capacity for everyone to be driving electric cars.

Big nukes plants for centralized power grid systems are the dinosaurs of the past, like Gerald Ford class super aircraft carriers they exist, but there will be very few of them.

The trend is going towards each dwelling being energy independent, at 58 years old I probably will not live to see the day, but it will come. Be it backyard nuclear power plant, advancements in renewable energy, or super efficient appliances lowering demand. It will come, it's just a matter of when.

The article originally posted is a pretty good one in that it looks at the world and not just the USA. Thanks for posting it.

The article is correct in pointing out this is a political problem, not an engineering technical problem. The two are however intertwined.

When a new technology comes along and changes the politics, this disruptive technology will one day it's self become obsolete and do what it can to hang on to the past. This is how I view nuclear power, it is making it's last stand, and I just hope it doesn't have another melt-down.
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Last edited by kach22i; 11-11-2018 at 11:40 AM..
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