Re:First new US nuclear reactor in decades enters commercial...
by pfdietz on Monday July 31, 2023 @05:29PM
(#36949133)
Generating green hydrogen with renewables and then burning it in combined cycle plants would be cheaper than Vogtle-level nuclear.
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Re:First new US nuclear reactor in decades enters commercial...
by _hypx on Monday July 31, 2023 @10:04PM
(#36951464)
Maybe. The thing about nuclear reactors is that the fuel cost is nearly zero on account of how little of it you need. Even with reprocessing, it is still <$0.01/kWh. So nearly all cost with nuclear is upfront. Mass production of nuclear power plants will drive that down dramatically. Nuclear, if done at scale, is can be very cheap.
So having a stable source of cheap electricity that can be built in nearly any location is still a good idea. Even in a world with super cheap green hydrogen.
Re:First new US nuclear reactor in decades enters commercial...
by pfdietz on Monday July 31, 2023 @10:14PM
(#36951535)
With nuclear you're burning your powerplant, essentially. That the fuel is comparatively cheap is irrelevant, since that's not what's dominating the cost of power.
Re:First new US nuclear reactor in decades enters commercial...
by _hypx on Monday July 31, 2023 @10:21PM
(#36951583)
That's what I said. It's the cost of the powerplant that drives nuclear's cost. But you can reduce that dramatically via mass production of power plants. It will be a cheap source of electricity if done right. And we don't want just one energy source for everything anyways.
Re:First new US nuclear reactor in decades enters commercial...
by pfdietz on Monday July 31, 2023 @10:44PM
(#36951720)
It's not at all clear mass production of nuclear power plants will reduce cost. This has not been demonstrated. It runs counter to economies of scale from large power plants.
Re:First new US nuclear reactor in decades enters commercial...
by _hypx on Tuesday August 01, 2023 @12:17AM
(#36952237)
You pick one reactor design and make dozens of them. That will be much cheaper than building a bespoke reactor type every time.
Re:First new US nuclear reactor in decades enters commercial...
by pfdietz on Tuesday August 01, 2023 @09:56AM
(#36956005)
Again, this has not been demonstrated. Nuclear in France showed negative experience effects.
Re:First new US nuclear reactor in decades enters commercial...
by _hypx on Tuesday August 01, 2023 @04:00PM
(#36961823)
A lot of that is just anti-nuclear propaganda. Nuclear in France does not have major problems.