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0 points79523y ago0 comments

Does not scale, I hear that a lot about everything that isn't nuclear. Maybe people said that to the semiconductor industry before the explosion in person computers or smart phones.

Nuclear has got to have the worse scalability story of any hyped technology ever. Very monolithic system with tight integration between components. Hazardous materials. Complex science and engineering that needs lots of different highly trained people. Exotic materials. High temperatures. Enabling works with quantities in the millions of square metres. Processes that are difficult to model. Endless secrecy for national security. Very strong buildings. Harsh design margins. Sites in remote areas with absolutely no night life.

We should be optimistic about nuclear. But also apply optimism to other technologies and industries. If the petro-chemical industry want to make hydrogen work they will succeed. So will the battery industry and solar. If nuclear can scale than so can they.

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Manuel_D3y ago· 1 in thread

And yet for all the complaints about nuclear, France powers over 75% of it's grid with nuclear. Several other countries have it at around 40-50%. Nuclear continues to produce more electricity than wind and solar combined.

7952OP3y ago

And yet for all the scepticism about renewables it has almost caught up with nuclear in a much shorter time.

But my wider point is that we need to be more consistent in how we apply scepticism and optimism to different technologies. In some dimensions that gives a benefit to nuclear and in others the benefit is with renewables or storage.

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