Australia has enough solar, wind storage in pipeline to go 100% renewables

Re:Australia has enough solar, wind storage in pipeline to g... by BLKNSLVR on Thursday March 21, 2019 @09:09AM (#19451841)

I've read in various places that nuclear power missed its window of opportunity. It would have been great had they been up and running now. But to start building them now would mean they're up and running after wind and solar and batteries have significantly brought the price of power down to a level that makes nuclear power plants unviable.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Australia has enough solar, wind storage in pipeline to g... by bjz_ on Thursday March 21, 2019 @09:16AM (#19451907)

Yeah - renewables are quicker to bring online, and allow for faster iteration and innovation. If Australia currently had nuclear power plants I definitely wouldn't be in favour of shutting them down, but it seems a better bet to invest in the renewable energy.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Australia has enough solar, wind storage in pipeline to g... by solarkraft on Thursday March 21, 2019 @09:29AM (#19452034)

I's better long-term. Storage of nuclear waste is a close-to-unmanageable risk.

Countries that haven't started are lucky because every part of a nuclear power plant is incredibly difficult to get rid of.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Australia has enough solar, wind storage in pipeline to g... by perilunar on Thursday March 21, 2019 @09:46AM (#19452231)

> Storage of nuclear waste is a close-to-unmanageable risk

Not in Australia it isn't. We have very large areas of geologically stable, sparsely populated land. Some of it is even already contaminated by nuclear tests in the 50s.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Australia has enough solar, wind storage in pipeline to g... by perilunar on Thursday March 21, 2019 @09:44AM (#19452199)

> nuclear power missed its window of opportunity

It didn't 'miss' its window — it was actively shut out by the green movement. One of the great ironies of climate change really.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Australia has enough solar, wind storage in pipeline to g... by Brakenshire on Thursday March 21, 2019 @10:54AM (#19452998)

The green movement does not have that kind of political power, and in any case is split on nuclear. What has stopped nuclear is almost entirely economics.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Australia has enough solar, wind storage in pipeline to g... by SlowRobotAhead on Thursday March 21, 2019 @11:57AM (#19453850)

>The green movement does not have that kind of political power,

Disagree. Ignorance has immense political power.

[ Parent | on HN ]