News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Chernobyl’s Hot Mess, “the Elephant’s Foot”, Is Still Lethal (2013). Parent comment

Re:Chernobyl’s Hot Mess, “the Elephant’s Foot”, Is Still Let... by lmm on Monday December 05, 2016 @06:07AM (#13104695)
Take the number of baseline gigawatts produced by nuclear over the last x years, for any value of x you care to pick. Divide by the total cost over the same period (under the same safety standards, or equivalently the same price per person killed - falling off a roof installing a solar panel can kill you just as dead as radiation can). Compare to any other power source you care to pick.

Nuclear power is cheap.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Chernobyl’s Hot Mess, “the Elephant’s Foot”, Is Still Let... by chinathrow on Monday December 05, 2016 @08:03AM (#13105069)
Nuclear power, at least in Europe, is only cheap as the nation states serve as insurers. The costs in the event of an accident are so high that noone wants to insure them.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Chernobyl’s Hot Mess, “the Elephant’s Foot”, Is Still Let... by ageofwant on Monday December 05, 2016 @09:22AM (#13105475)
And coal power is so cheap because everyone pays the price. Everyone everywhere. Coal electricity have enormous negative externalities: health, quality of live, the aggregated economic cost is enormous, and will increase exponentially.

If coal electricity users actually paid the real cost it would dwarf nuclear cost.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Chernobyl’s Hot Mess, “the Elephant’s Foot”, Is Still Let... by manarth on Monday December 05, 2016 @09:27AM (#13105501) 

  > Nuclear power is only cheap as the nation states serve as insurers
EDF, who are preparing to construct Hinkley Point's planned nuclear power station, have been guaranteed a minimum strike price of £92.50/MWh. The mean wholesale price is currently around £46/MWh.

Even disregarding the risk/cost of accident cleanup, nuclear power isn't necessarily cheap or unsubsidized.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Chernobyl’s Hot Mess, “the Elephant’s Foot”, Is Still Let... by draugadrotten on Monday December 05, 2016 @09:20AM (#13105461)
...and how is this different from the costs of global warming and other features of fossil fuels?

The costs are not visible to the user of the fuel but put on the nation states and future generations.

[ Parent | on HN ]