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Re:Energy Prices in Europe Hit Records After Wind Stops Blowing by cure on Monday September 13, 2021 @10:34AM (#28512023)
> Or nuclear. Sad that this isn’t seen as an option any longer.

Maybe this statement is just a reflection of what can be done in a reasonable amount of time (a few years)? Planning and building nuclear plants takes an order of magnitude longer, it seems.

Re:Energy Prices in Europe Hit Records After Wind Stops Blowing by giarc on Monday September 13, 2021 @10:40AM (#28512092)
The best time to plant a tree is 30 years ago, the second best time is now.
Re:Energy Prices in Europe Hit Records After Wind Stops Blowing by danhor on Monday September 13, 2021 @10:54AM (#28512254)
If you need a tree in 10, maybe don't plant one that takes 20 years to grow.

If nuclear were the only option, it would be different. But the only pro-nuclear policies that make sense for achieving 1.5-2 degrees are keeping existing plants online and reactivating old ones (also policies with reasonable disagreements, but at least positive regarding climate change afaict). Building new ones simply takes too long to achieve climate goals while wind & PV are reasonably quick to do (if the political will is there).

Re:Energy Prices in Europe Hit Records After Wind Stops Blowing by tehsauce on Monday September 13, 2021 @10:39AM (#28512082)
realistically building batteries or thermal storage at that scale will probably take as long as nuclear plants
Re:Energy Prices in Europe Hit Records After Wind Stops Blowing by dagw on Monday September 13, 2021 @10:55AM (#28512271)
With batteries and thermal storage you can scale up over time. You can have a new small thermal storage or battery facility up and running in 2-3 years and slowly build it out over the next 20 years, with the option to change technology or capacity as needed during that time. With nuclear you have 20 years of 'nothing' before you have anything to show for your efforts.
Re:Energy Prices in Europe Hit Records After Wind Stops Blowing by tehsauce on Monday September 13, 2021 @05:58PM (#28517412)
It’s true you can start small and scale up, but it still would probably take many years to accumulate enough batteries to make a significant difference. Secondly, it doesn’t make 20 years to build a modern nuclear power plant, 5 years is a better estimate. So nuclear is still easily the cheaper/faster/proven method compared to batteries or thermal.
Re:Energy Prices in Europe Hit Records After Wind Stops Blowing by dagw on Tuesday September 14, 2021 @05:07AM (#28522088)
5 years is a better estimate.

How I wish that where true. But looking at all current new Nuclear power plant projects in Europe and the US it's clear that we are incapable of that. Yes we can argue about why that is and how in theory it shouldn't take that long, but the truth is that best case scenario it will take you more than 5 years just to get a building permit to start buildings a new nuclear power plant.